Favela woman faces consequences

BRAZIL Gang members imposed punishment on a woman living in their favela. In a humiliating act, they cut her hair with a butcher’s knife. It is unclear what the woman had done to provoke this.

Brazilian favelas are often controlled by gangs, which enforce their own laws and punishments. Unlike the official Brazilian justice system, these punishments are frequently physical and carried out without a proper legal trial – only the gang’s decision matters.