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VO

radio

Rio De Janeiro, the host city for the 2014 world cup and 2016 Olympics has begun planning and building over 8 miles of so-called "eco-barriers" around hundreds of its sprawling favela slums to protect th rain forest. But many think that these eco-concerns are serving as cover for another, less benevolent purpose: walling in, and containing, the city's slums.

There are an estimated 750 illegal slums in Rio de Janeiro.

They are called favelas and have become notorious for drug trafficking, police killings and a Brazilan reality little seen by the tourists on the beaches.

With increased budgets after winning bids for the world cup and Olympic games, Rio is controversially spending millions of pounds on a vast wall building program around these favelas.

Authorities say it is an Eco wall to protect the forest and stop favela expansion.

Many residents say the wall is to hide the favelas from tourists and is a new barrier of social exclusion.

Bira – Community leader

Its A new segragation.

its going to be like the wall in Palestine –

it will dehumanize us all here in the favela.

VO

This is the favela of Rocinha, home to 150,000 people, and the construction of the wall is underway.

I have been invited by the residents association here to see the wall now encircling the favela.

Xavantes

Community leader

This is where the wall is beginning,

it will run all down this line

and into the community.

VO

Favela Homes on the wrong side of the new wall are being destroyed and the families re-located.

I was told the residents have only agreed to the wall after the government promised them better services and a hospital.

VO

I made my way to the neighboring Favela of Dona Marta’. This favela is lauded as success story for a new strong arm policy by the government. Drug traffickers used to control these alley ways but they been forced out and the police now keep a permanent presence.

Captain Priscilla

Military Police

Our government have recently finished the work on the wall down there.

This wall is not intended to separate people.

Here in Brasil, a wall does not signify separation or division, a wall does not cause problems for the community.

VO

However, walking around the alleys of the favela, It was not hard to find local residents who disagreed with the official line.

Juan

Favela resident

This wall has been imposed upon us.

It was never asked for by the residents. It has come from above and it will now limit us and control us.

VO

As I was leaving Dona Marta, I came across three civil police officers, their guns out, on a clearly nervous patrol.

Their explanation for the wall was different from the government line of Eco barrier.

Police 1

Police 2

Police 1

The Wall helps, really helps us.

It makes it harder for THE TRAFFICKERS and easier for us.

We have a police vehicles at the bottom and a unit at the top. There are only two entrances now with this new wall.

Working with the civil police are the BOPE, the elite Brazilian military police who are used to enter favelas and confront and kill traffickers.

In a new strong arm policy, the Rio authorities are trying to wrestle back control of the favelas from the drug gangs. These elite unites, keen to put on a show for my camera, are frequently accused of extra judicial killings of both traffickers and civilians.

BOPE soldiers

What happens here in the favelas, in these communities is that they are spreading, so this ecological wall will stop that, preserving the forest, but it will also mainly help us locate the traffickers.

VO

But across Rio, the biggest favela district of Mare, is still in the grip of a deadly gang war.

Many of its streets are riddled with bullet holes from continuous shoot outs

With a wall coming here as well, I wanted to speak to the dangerous drug gangs - who are still the real power in hundreds of favelas across the city.

‘Damian’

‘Third Commando’

The truth is that this wall is going only to cause more war.

They want to surround the community but we wont let them. It will fail.

More police will die, traffickers will die and the killing will continue.

This is the reality, the drug traffic wont stop.

VO

Authorities state the reason for planned wall in Mare,is not to save the rainforst, but is an ‘accoustic wall’ to protect the residents from sound of the nearby motorway.

Lydia

Favela resident

The politicians claim this wall is to protect both residents and drivers from the highway.

But this is not true

The reality is that its to separate us. So when tourists pass by, they wont see this favela, they wont see this bad side of Rio.

You know its us here who have built Rio. We are the ones who get up at 5am to make their new buildings but we are the ones they want to hide from view.

VO

I went to see the Mayor or Rio, who is bringing the 2014 world cup and 2016 olympics here. He heads the administration that has planned and financed these walls.

Mayor of Rio

Eduardo Paes

If you talk like a wall, you think you are in the States, US, building walls with mexico, or Isreal building walls with Palestine, and that’s not the case with Rio. Rio is a very open city. I explain again. The walls are being built in many favelas, are being there to protect nature, there is a limit, and these people live there, its not a wall that you cannot go in or out, its open area of the city,

We are very proud of our people and our favelas.

VO

The vibrancy and diversity of the favelas are part of Rio's identity, and the city authorities say they don't want to change that – that their policy is one of social integration between favela residents and the rest of the city.  

But many of residents who will live behind the planned 8 miles of concrete walls, say that barriers like this will only deepen centries of social divide in brazil.

This is Phil Cox, More4 News, Rio.