Police Brutality

    You hear people say, "black lives matter" and speak about the injustice that is happening in our own backyard.

  In the U.S. there are over a thousand people who have been killed by police in just this last year. The numbers are adding up and police brutality is getting more ans more out of control. Police brutality exists everywhere around the world, but Are we the only ones experiencing this kind of issue?

Brazil has also had this problem of aggressive behavior and it has gotten worse in the past years. Since there is a budget crisis that has pushed back the pay wage, there is a need for money. In 2016 there was a cut of more than 30% with law enforcement that limits them in many ways. It is said that since the budget crisis, "Police morale had plummeted."

 So there have been many cases of police brutality that civilians encounter, some places more than others. In Rio de Janeiro alone, 645 civilians were killed by police in 2015 and the homicides keep rising each year.

Since their is a lack of fair pay it only weakens the law enforcement even more. Policemen and anyone on the force is supposed to have the proper training before working, but their is a desperate need for employment that background checks are most often overlooked.

     High rates of criminal activity in Rio de Janeiro is so out of control, police feel entitled to deal with this issue their own way. They have developed military based equipment and style fighting which is not always such a good idea. Many times police can shoot an individual if they have reason to believe that they are a threat, but that not always true.

Even if they are wrong most cases are never investigated or taken to court. If the officer reports an incident as self defense which is most often used as an excuse, then the case is more likely to be dismissed.

In Haiti, devastating events have taken place in the last decade. Four hurricanes and on top of that a catastrophic earthquake that hit in 2010, have led the country to loose stability in government. There is a need for effective use of law enforcement, but the people that should be in control are not making it any better for Haitians.

Instead, police are making it impossible for them feel safe. There have been countless numbers of kidnappings and rapings where police have been said to be contributors. The women and younger girls are the targets of these unfortunate events.

According to United Nations, there have been 84 rape cases in 2009. In the first half of 2008, there were 157 kidnapping sightings. Police still struggle to get the proper training on human rights knowledge and have the proper training. There is also a lack of employment and equipment in the police force that puts them at a disadvantage.

Still, none of this justifies the excessive use of power that police exemplify to innocent Haitians.
In the Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index of 2008, Haiti was placed 177 out of 180 of the most corrupted systems in the world. This lets you know that there is still much change that needs to be made in order for Haiti to have a functional and secure law enforcement.