Genocide of Young Black Population and The Reason is Racism
Note from BW of Brazil: Back in the early years of the 21st century, when I came across the incredible numbers of deaths in Brazil due to everyday street violence, deaths due to police actions or organized death squads, I was hesitant about using the “g” word, specifically when considering the data in the context of race or skin color. But with the shocking statistics I’ve seen in recent years, I realized that there was no need to ne hesitant about using the word genocide to describe what was going on with Brazil’s black population, particularly the young people. Afro-Brazilian activist Abdias do Nascimento used the word in the title of one of his most famous books decades ago: The Genocide of the Black Brazilian.
The fact is, Brazil has ALWAYS wanted to rid itself of its black population. Whether sending blacks to serve as basically cannon fodder in the Triple Alliance War, through leaving former slaves to their own resources after the abolition, the promotion of the whitening process and eventual disappearance of the black phenotype, low financial resources or outright violence, the agenda has been rather clear for anyone who cares to analyze the situation. As such, as the article below proclaims, using the term “genocide” is NOT an exaggeration.
“When it comes to the genocide of the young black population, it’s not an exaggeration. The reason is racism,” says safety research coordinator
By Igor Rocha
Report shows that violence against young blacks is five times greater than against whites
Research carried out by the Rede de Observatórios de Segurança (Network of Security Observatories) shows that the homicide rate of black youth in Bahia is almost five times higher than that of white youth, based on the report The Color of Violence in Bahia: An Analysis of Homicides and Sexual Violence in the Last Decade, released last Thursday (5).
According to Silvia Ramos, coordinator of the platform, the only explanation for this difference is racism. “When it comes to the genocide of the young black population, it is not an exaggeration. The reason is racism. This is the most shameless portrait of Brazilian racism. We are talking about deaths. Nothing justifies this situation, but a racist policy” said the activist, in an interview with Rádio Brasil Atual
Data
In all, the report took into account 10 years of data from the Unified Health System (SUS), which were analyzed and presented an evolution in violent deaths in the state. “The study does not have data on public security, because the government of Bahia (currently of governor Rui Costa (PT)) is one of the few in the country that does not present data on the sector. That is, how many homicides, how many robberies, how many deaths, but also who these people were, age, race, gender, etc.,” explained Silvia.
Research shows that the homicide rate in Bahia is almost double the national rate. While in Brazil the homicide rate is 27 for every 100 thousand inhabitants, in Bahia, it rises to 41 for every 100 thousand inhabitants. However, in some municipalities in the state, these rates can reach 80 per 100 thousand. “But the most surprising thing is that the homicide rate of young people between 18 and 29 years old, male, black, was 236 homicides per 100 thousand inhabitants. That of men of the same age, white, is 50 per 100 thousand,” explained the researcher (see note one).
“Just yesterday there was a scene, here in Salvador, of policemen beating young black men with a paddle. A group already trapped, cornered, who needed to extend their hands to be beaten by the police. This is called racism. This would not be done anywhere else, but they do it with young black people inside the favela. It is an immoral and illegal act,” added Silvia.
Black women
Another data from the study is related to abuses against black women. The survey reveals that, of the 1,194 cases of rape and sexual violence in general, recorded in 2017, 872 victims were black women and 153 were white, demonstrating that black women are the most frequent victims of crimes. What the numbers show is that the violence that affects this part of the population is highly biased from a racial point of view.
Source: Notícia Preta
Note
- It is particularly telling that the murder of black people is happening precisely in the state in Brazil known for having the largest black population. It would be expected for people to argue that because there are more blacks, it would be logical that they suffer more assassinations, but as the data shows, per hundred thousand, blacks in Bahia are killed nearly five times more than whites.
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