The World Cup And Human Rights In Brazil

Following much anticipation the 2014 World Cup has begun and the eyes of the World are now firmly fixed on one nation: Brazil. Tourists and football-lovers alike have flocked to witness the Beautiful Game in an equally beautiful place. Yet, behind the seductive facade of carnavalesque images of fanfares, samba dancing and beaches lies a more sinister reality. Many in Brazil feel that the World Cup has diverted much needed investment away from the social strata most in need and the ongoing protests serve to confirm the tensions within the country.

Who pays the price for the party?

Whether a World Cup inspires positive or negative attitudes inevitably comes down to who you speak to. The spending and investment for the South Africa 2010 World Cup famously was not on a par with the disappointing revenue from tourism in the years which followed yet many still consider it an important milestone in the country's social and political history. Indeed, supporters maintain that the "Copa" (World Cup in Portuguese) is an opportunity for Brazil to launch itself as a global economic powerhouse and the home of sport. While this may be true, it is nevertheless hard to ignore the cries of those altogether less enthusiastic about the event. Graffitti murals cropping up in many of the host cities narrate a story of disenfranchisement and anger at mass spending on infrastructure geared towards the global football competition.

Relocation and Forced Evictions

The issue at the heart of the protests is not a new one. The World Cup has simply highlighted more starkly the vast disparity between rich and poor in Brazil. So while football is often branded as an 'inclusive' sport for all to enjoy, the reality remains that many Brazilians will not benefit from the Copa. Protests exploded last summer, initially sparked by a rise in bus fares in Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro, they soon revealed many more complex problems; social, economic and political. No more are such problems evident than in the favelas (shanty towns built illegally around the urban hubs) where the most marginalised members of society dwell. There have been growing concerns in the build up to the World Cup regarding the construction of multi-million dollar stadiums which is alleged to entail demolition, rehousing and forced evictions of areas dominated by favelas. This has sparked debates relating to how adequately human rights are safeguarded in the country, particularly the rights of those most vulnerable in society. Amnesty International and other charitable organisations such as Conectas (a Brazilian human rights campaign group) have done much to raise awareness of the issue and as early as 2011 the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing voiced concerns. In a publication from the UN the Special Rapporteur commented; "I am particularly worried about what seems to be a pattern of lack of transparency, consultation, dialogue, fair negotiation, and participation of the affected communities in processes concerning evictions undertaken or planned in connection with the World Cup and Olympics," and added, "I am also concerned about the very limited compensation offered to the communities affected, which is even more striking given the increased value of real estate in locations where building is taking place for these events. Insufficient compensation can result in homelessness and the formation of new informal settlements."

Estimates of the number of those forced to leave their homes because of gentrification and stadium-building projects were proposed to be around 250,000 by the Popular Committee for the World Cup however it is hard to ascertain exactly how many have been affected (www.portalpopulardacopa.org.br). One of the fundamental international norms regarding the right to housing is that when an eviction occurs, the conditions offered in rehousing must be the same if not better than the original housing. The UN Special Rapporteur has noted that, worryingly, this is often not the case in Brazil. Many of the problems boil down to the complex bureaucratic system meaning that often the compensation relocated residents are entitled to is tied up in judicial banks accounts which require lengthy legal procedures to access. Residents can be relocated to housing many kilometres outside of the city, some with worse access to services and infrastructure than their previous dwellings. As a result many lose their main source of income. Even for those not relocated, the FIFA by-laws- which stipulate that in the 2km radius surrounding stadiums no informal economic activity may occur- preclude a vital source of income for lots of working people. Further to this there is also the problematic question of the use of threats and violence in forced evictions.

The rehousing and eviction problem is just one of a long list of troubles that have come under the scrutiny of the press in the run up to the Cup. The culmination of increased publicity of the problems and increased unrest at the reaction of authorities to violations of human rights has led citizens to ask, "Copa pra quem?" (Whose World Cup?).