Rio: fighting for the favelas - IRIN

Perpetrators and victims – and grieving relatives – of gang violence in the slums of Honduras, Guatemala, Haiti and El Salvador. According to UN-HABITAT over the period
1980–2000, total recorded crime rates in the world increased by about 30 per cent. Over the past five years, 60 per cent of all urban residents in developing countries have
been victims of violence. For the well-off there has been a rapid growth of the private security industry and of urban gated communities. The urban poor often have to fend
for themselves as whole sections of slums are no-go areas for police and where gangs and militias rule. These photos were taken between 2005-2006.
Facing page images: Ariana Cubillos (AP), Yuir Cortez and STR (courtesy of AFP). Above image: Orlando Sierra (courtesy of AFP)