Yesterday after lunch, Sarah came back with some sad news. A professor from the IFCE,
Vicente de Paulo Miranda Leitão, had been killed during lunchtime. Two young assailants approached the professor when he was at his car. When he reached over to help his wife undo her seat belt, one of the assailants panicked and shot him in the chest. This had happened about a 5 minute walk from the IFCE, where we we're working at the time, in the middle of the day. While the 17 year old assailant who pulled the trigger was caught last night, there second still hasn't been found.
Although this story is truly sad, I've heard from a couple of people that such situations happen often here in Fortaleza. When I first told my mother that I would be going to Brazil for this internship, she was fairly worried because of the dangerous reputation that some cities have. However, it is often the case that with any big city, crime does occur more frequently. Although such homicides do occur in Ottawa, the homicide rate is fairly low in comparison to other Canadian cities. (see chart below)
So when someone is murdered in Ottawa, it definatey makes the news. According to
Wikipedia, the most reliable source for information (sarcasm), the murder rate is in Fortaleza is steadily increasing. Although Fortaleza is not at the same level of homicides as bigger cities, such as Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, homicide rates in these cities are steadily decreasing. (see chart below)
Ok, I won't start writing an essay comparing violence in Brazil and Canada on my blog. This was just me sharing what I found when I went into research mode after hearing about the tragic death of the IFCE professor.
Next week I will be going to Rio de Janeiro for a conference......I know, I know, its even more dangerous than Fortaleza. I will take the standard precautions (
See Amber's post) and some more of course. I want to enjoy my time in Rio, without putting myself at risk of any danger. Wish us safe travels.
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