Is Brazil safe to travel to? Is it dangerous? How safe it is for tourists? When it comes to this topic, I prefer to be frank. Brazil is not safe, both for locals and for travelers, especially in metropolitan areas. Does it mean I can’t travel to Brazil? No, but we can’t underestimate the risks. Let me explain step by step.
In Brazil, we are used to crime and violence levels that are unthinkable in North America, Europe, and Australia. Checking statistics about murder rates, rapes, thefts, drug trafficking, and other crimes is similar to what happens in South Africa and Mexico.
We are used to living under fear and tension of being robbed, not walking outside at night, avoiding certain neighborhoods, not going outside whenever crime levels increase, and even being kidnapped depending on the city we live in. Our houses are surrounded by high walls and iron bars, and buildings have security services, looking like a prison literally. Brazil is the second biggest world market for bullet-proof cars, only behind Mexico.
But what’s the cause of such crime levels in Brazil? There’s nothing to do with poverty or social inequality, being a decent person doesn’t rely on economic conditions. The root cause is permissive laws for criminals, corruption, and lack of punishment while police forces are constrained. The painful truth is that crime in Brazil is rewarding, drug cartels are expanding year by year, equipped with war weaponry enough to fight against any army. And ordinary citizens are defenseless in the middle of this mess.
What would being robbed in Brazil look like?
Let’s imagine a scenario in which you’re robbed. A 16-year-old steals your mobile phone during your trip to Rio de Janeiro and pulls your pendant out of your neck. Then, you go to a police station to register the incident (B.O – Boletim de Ocorrência in Portuguese), and waste hours for the sake of bureaucracy.
Even if the thief is caught, he may leave the police station sooner than you unless he commits a more serious crime such as murder. He’ll be free again to hunt for other victims and you may be robbed again by another criminal. That’s our situation. And what if he stabs or shot you? In most cases, the thieves will spend their profits to buy drugs.
So it’s no exaggeration to frame Brazil as a war zone. Travelers must be careful about where they go, and at what time they walk outside. Growing up in a small town, much safer than the big cities, I always ask locals about what areas are safe, where to avoid them, and whether is OK to go out at night. And I hide my mobile as well as any valuable item.
It may sound paranoid but what else can we do? As any Brazilian living abroad, I took some time to get used to walking outside without worries as I have done in Switzerland, Israel, Ukraine, Serbia, Portugal, and other places I have been. However, don’t do it Brazil.
Despite the murder rate has been falling, 41,069 murders were registered in Brazil in 2021; 44,108 in 2020; 2019, 41,730; and 51.558 in 2018. In the decade from 2010 to 2020, the average is 60,000 murders a year. Every 9 minutes there is a murder and the homicide rate per 100 thousand inhabitants is at 27 a year.
Out of the 30 most dangerous cities in the world, 10 are located in Brazil.
40% of the Brazilian population has already been robbed.
25% of mobile phone thefts in the world take place in Brazil (data from 2015 presented at the Congress). Statistics point out an average of 3 thefts per minute but it’s likely to be much higher since not all of them are registered due to mistrust in authorities and laws.
Are you surprised if the embassy of your country ranks Brazil as dangerous as any war zone around the world?
Example of how Brazilians deal with crime in daily life
Getting used to living under crime and tension, Brazilians have adopted hacks to disguise criminals in the mood of dribbling the danger. A couple of examples of how many locals in Brazil deal with crime in daily life:
- Reserve a “second purse” for the thief in the car in case of a robbery;
- Reserve a small amount of cash for the thief;
- Hide earplugs inside the dental floss box and wherever the thief can’t imagine there’s something valuable inside;
- Using a case that looks like an old device from the 1990s to hide an iPod or mobile;
- Carry an old mobile phone or a replica while going outside;
- Take a taxi or mototaxi to avoid walking by dangerous streets;
- Using traps against thieves trying to invade the house and vehicle;
- Disabling payment by proximity in the bank card.
Just a list of examples. If you speak Portuguese, you may receive phone calls from scammers telling every kind of story and asking for cash. Generally speaking, crime corrupts public space and social fabric, breaking trust in the authorities and institutions. Middle-class in big cities live locked at apartment complexes, shopping malls, and social clubs where the risks of being face-to-face with criminals are smaller.
Recommendation for travelers to keep safe in Brazil
As Brazilians deal with crime daily, travelers must take precautions while exploring Brazil. Most of the hard crimes against tourists happen in areas where I would never put my shoes, as any local. Here we go with the basic safety tips:
- Don’t flash valuable items such as mobile phones, tablets, watches, branded clothes, and any product that signs to be expensive. It draws a lot of attention from thieves.
- Avoid dodgy places.
- At night, stay in crowded areas, bars, and clubs where locals get together.
- At restaurants across the highways and out popular local businesses, avoid paying by card as it can be cloned or hacked for theft.
- Keep payment by proximity disabled on your bank cards. If stolen, thieves will spend it all.
- Despite Brazilians being sociable and easygoing, be aware of scammers hunting for gringos.
What about going to the favelas?
Visiting a favela may trigger your curiosity while traveling to Brazil but I don’t recommend doing so. If you do, at least make sure you’re accompanied by a local. Such areas are ruled by drug traffickers, so it’s up to them to decide how things are run in the neighborhood. It’s normal seeing guys carrying weapons in the streets and at local events.
As I don’t go to favelas, let alone feel safe doing it, why would I recommend you? Safety is the reason and you never know when a gunshot may happen. At least 90% of the people who live in favelas are honest and hard-working people but there’s nothing you can do against the arbitrability of pimps. A pretty girl who denies dating a gangster is likely to be raped and murdered, for example.
Are there safe places to live in Brazil?
If you wonder what parts of Brazil are safe, there are options for travelers and digital nomads. Yes, there are safe spots in Brazil where you can live without being paranoid about crime. Leaving the biggest cities, there are functional regions in the country where murder rates are similar to the average of North America and Western Europe, infrastructure is reasonable and standards of living are higher than the average in Latin America.
In Brazilian small and medium towns, life can be tranquil, cheaper, and put you in touch with regional cultures. But in these places, you need to speak Portuguese, at least the minimum enough to communicate with locals who are not used to dealing with foreigners. Even in big cities, not so many Brazilians speak another language, similar to what you see in Russia.
Where should I stay in Brazil with tranquility? Cities like Florianópolis, Balneário Camboriú, Curitiba, Gramado, Maringá, and Londrina are some examples of safer spots where crime is out of proportion to what happens in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Porto Alegre, and other state capitals. In any case, always be careful with your surroundings as locals do.
Originally posted 2022-10-16 20:47:21.
