Poverty In Brazil

To quell a burst of carjackings, supermarket lootings and murders, military troops rolled into this tropical metropolis last month heading straight for the slums. They set up checkpoints and sent armed patrols to root out criminals, searching everyone from children to grandmothers.

Maria Thereza Sombra may rely on Rio de Janeiro's police to keep her safe -- but in the grip of financial crisis they rely on the 82-year-old to supply them with toilet paper.

In a country known for its frail safety nets and extremes of wealth and poverty, "social problems often end up in the courtroom."

To quell a burst of carjackings, supermarket lootings and murders, military troops rolled into this tropical metropolis last month heading straight for the slums. They set up checkpoints and sent armed patrols to root out criminals, searching everyone from children to grandmothers.

Maria Thereza Sombra may rely on Rio de Janeiro's police to keep her safe -- but in the grip of financial crisis they rely on the 82-year-old to supply them with toilet paper.

In a country known for its frail safety nets and extremes of wealth and poverty, "social problems often end up in the courtroom."