Slum. Favela: result of social inequalities

The expression "slum” is commonly repeated by people in everyday life and by the media. It is generally defined as houses in disrepair that are located on hills. But is this really the correct definition of favela?

Actually, slum it means any and all irregular occupation of public or private land or in areas that are not recommended for housing (such as the hills). People who live in slums generally do not have the minimum infrastructure conditions and do not have legal possession of the land where they built their houses.

How do favelas arise?

Favelas are the result of social inequalities and the large number of people living in precarious living conditions in cities. Such a process, in historical terms, resulted from the so-called "rural exodus" which, because of the replacement of man by machine in the countryside, led to the mass migration of people from the countryside to the cities. The process of emergence of favelas is called slums.

Historical data indicate that the first favelas in Brazil emerged at the end of the 19th century, after the end of the Guerra de Canudos (1896-1897), on land ceded by the Navy to soldiers who returned from missions military. However, they became more visible after the country's industrialization process, which intensified after the 1950s.

They arise, then, from the misery and low living conditions of the population who, not being able to buy or live on rent in other regions of the cities, it ends up “invading” other spaces and building improvised houses, often not completed. Some favelas are thus built in risky places, such as very high hills and slopes, which, during the rains, can suffer from landslides and cause deaths.

Over time, some slums become urbanized, that is, they receive infrastructure conditions from city halls, such as energy, running water, asphalt and sewage. But this does not necessarily solve the population's problems of misery, as well as the rates of violence and drug trafficking problems.


By Rodolfo Alves Pena
Graduated in Geography

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