How to act when mistakenly entering a favela in Rio de Janeiro

Entering a favela in Rio de Janeiro by mistake can be a scary situation, because countless favelas, not to say all of them in Rio de Janeiro are controlled by drug trafficking, it is important to say that the majority of residents are hard-working people. who have no other option than to live under the yoke of an armed minority, but it is important to remain calm and act carefully to ensure their safety.

Here are some tips on how to act when mistakenly entering a favela

Stay calm:

As soon as you realize that you are in a favela by mistake, take a deep breath and try to remain calm. Panic can make the situation worse. Because everything indicates that when entering the favela, the men guarding the entrance to the community already know that a strange car has entered the favela, so the best thing is to remain calm and try to locate someone friendly who can direct you to the entrance of the favela. community.

Do not show excessive nervousness:

Avoid looking around frantically or acting suspiciously. This can draw unwanted attention. Because this can draw attention to you and in this case negative attention and that is what we don’t want at the moment, try to act as close to normal as possible, remember in the favela you will be surrounded by good people, so among these people try to observe, for example, a mother with a child, a lady washing the sidewalk, some business like a grocery store, but be careful: avoid bars because these are the places where these criminals tend to be.

Do not make sudden movements:

Avoid making sudden movements that could be interpreted as a threat. This is not easy, it is not the reality of the place where you live, but it is extremely important that you pay attention to this point, as many times you will enter and leave normally without anyone approaching you, just because you acted normally and pretended be local.

For example: leaving the car to turn off, accelerating suddenly, driving at high speed are hostile attitudes within the favela and can make people approach you in a hostile manner.

Don’t use your cell phone a favela:

Avoid using your cell phone or any other electronic device. This can attract the attention of people who may interpret your presence as a threat. Using a cell phone in a favela without permission, used by someone they don’t know, can seem like a threat. They think they are being recorded, they think you could be a police informant and take note of this golden tip, if you have your cell phone on the windshield of your car, take it out as quickly as possible and put it on the seat. car for the same reason already mentioned. .

extra tips, golden tips

1 – It may be that you are being guided by GPS, research shows that more than 90% of errors are guided by GPS, as they indicate the closest routes and not the safest. So pay attention not to stray too far from the main roads, if you don’t know which roads are the main ones, just look at the flow of cars, the more cars the better.

2 – When you realize that you have entered a favela, right at the entrance to the favela there will be motorcycle taxis, what are motorcycle taxis? They are usually young people who use their motorbikes to transport residents into the favela, you can easily ask for information and help to leave the community.

3 – If you do not have a motorcycle taxi when entering the favela, it is highly recommended to turn on the car’s warning lights and lower the car’s windows, always observing what we have already said – taking your cell phone off the dashboard and not driving at high speed and in panic.

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