Rio Olympics 2016 is still far from being over. Hundreds of thousands of tourists already booked their tickets to visit the samba capital of the world. Visiting this largest South American country is an exciting way to experience another atmosphere while you are going to visit new places and experience Brazil. You will be exposed to numerous sights and sounds around the country that fulfill your dreams.
However, there are problems that you might not know about in Rio De Janeiro. Going to Brazil is fun; however, you will not expect that there is a serious problem that the country is dealing for many decades. One is about the proliferation of street children, responsible for snatching valuables of unsuspecting victims while they are walking along the road or the streets. These children are already trained and experienced enough to efficiently execute their illegal practices against innocent individuals while they are passing along the streets of Rio De Janeiro.
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| A tourist couple followed by an alleged thief in the streets of Rio de a Janeiro |
While it benefits the economic integrity of Brazil as a whole during the Olympics, this is also an opportunity for repeat offenders to take their chances to take advantage against the will of others. Tourists don't realize that the presence of street thieves are a serious concern in Brazil, making them more vulnerable when they go along the streets. There were already numerous reports that foreign tourists were already being robbed by unknown thieves. As tourists, a language barrier is challenging because they need to have a translator before communicating with the locals.
As a result, most cases of foreign thieves being robbed were not properly reported to the authorities across cities in Brazil. Translators charge high amount of fees before they can successfully allow foreign tourists to communicate with the local authorities. This is a burden for foreigners who just want to have a great time watching athletes compete to gain a medal for their country. Local and foreign media are now giving warning signs for those who still fly to Rio to secure their belongings, especially when going to public places.
Watch the video of street children thieves in Rio
As you can see the video, passersby are being approached by the street thieves. If they ignore any stranger who comes near them, they simply walk and would not mind being alert on the potential dangers that could harm them.
The interesting issue from the video is that the thieves are mostly young. If you could observe, they are in their young teens, who are already being trained to unknowingly attempt to pick anything and then run from their victims. These are young boys who are believed to be the bread winners of their families who have no choice but resort to criminal acts just to fulfill their basic needs.
Tourists who are suspicious about the movements of these juvenile delinquents immediately guard their belongings. When they see that if a stranger is suspiciously approaching them, they immediately cover their bags, pockets, and securing their gadgets.
Some young thieves are not lucky because tourists who are already aware threw punches at them to scare them away. But there are still numerous street children who still searches for their potential victim and will try to get everything that they can get.
Rio's problem is still plagued by poverty. Favelas are believed to the where the street children are coming from. Favelas are settlements for individuals who belong below the poverty line in Brazil.
Tourists are advised to always secure their personal belongings whenever they are going to public places across cities in Brazil. They are advised to double lock their doors and do not leave their belongings when going out due to the threat of thieves who are equipped with a master key that can penetrate hotels, apartments, and homes.
