Demographics of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro City is home to more than 6 million people, accounting for about 35% of the population of Rio de Janeiro State. Portuguese remains the most widely spoken language and Rio de Janeiro is the second city in the Portuguese speaking world.
Viva Rio
One of Viva Rio's most prominent campaigns is Rio Desarma-se (Rio Disarm yourself), aimed at reducing the number of arms that are in the possession of civilians rather than government or law enforcement personnel. According to a survey done by Viva Rio and the Institute of Religious Studies, around 15 million or 90% of firearms in Brazil fall under this category. Various collection points have been set up throughout the city, and with the assistance of the Military and Civil police forces, are able to collect and destroy illegal weapons. On June 24, 2001, Viva Rio, in partnership with the municipal government of Rio de Janeiro, destroyed 100,000 firearm that had been collect and confiscated throughout the city, making it the largest simultaneous arms decommissioning in recent history. According to Brazil’s Ministry of Justice, disarmament campaigns, such as those organized by Viva Rio, will become a permanent part of national gun control policy on June 1, 2011. From Viva Rio’s work with gun control, the organization has expanded its network and areas of operation to include work in human rights, education, sports, environment and community development.