Brazil can be a dangerous place

I recently wrote about the problems Brazil has been having lately with the economic and political turmoil, along with the threat of the Zika virus – all with the eyes of the world firmly on the country with the Olympic Games just over two months away.

More recently, focus has turned to the safety of those who will be coming to Rio de Janeiro for the event – including athletes, officials, the media and spectators. A few high profile cases have given many people second thoughts about coming – and it is not completely without reason.

One of the biggest adjustments I've had to make since moving to Brazil has been to think actively about safety issues when going about my daily routine.

As Australians, we tend to take our safety for granted. While there is nowhere in the world where no crime happens, Australia is among the safest in the world and you can generally feel secure even when walking the streets of Melbourne late at night.

It is quite different here. Walking the streets at night time (even early evening) in many areas is not considered safe, while other areas should be avoided even in the day time. When going out at night it is imperative that you plan for how you're going to get home and if you're driving, being sure to park close enough to the venue so you're not forced to walk too far. These are things I would never think about at home, often walking for over half an hour late at night to get to my house.

To put things in to perspective, Brazil has 21 of the top 50 cities in the world when it comes to murder rate (homicides per 100,000 people). Porto Alegre, where I live is 43^rd on the list with a rate of almost 35, while the national average is over 25 – enough for 16^th highest in the world. In comparison, Australia's rate is one of the best in the world with just over 1 homicide per 100,000 people.

In Australia, a lot has been reported about the case of Rye Hunt, an Australian who has been missing in Rio de Janeiro for over a week. After getting into an argument with his travelling companion at the airport, Rye went missing and has not been heard from since. His family and friends are obviously incredibly worried about him and are doing everything they can to track him down. I still have hope that he can be found safe and sound return to his family.

Another recent case in Rio was that of several members of the Spanish Olympic sailing team who were robbed at gun point for everything they had on them, but were fortunately lucky to be left un injured.

Cases like this have certainly made news abroad, but by and large the majority of the victims of crime are the locals. The biggest case locally was an awful situation where a 16 year old girl was gang raped by up to 30 young men, which has shocked many Brazilians into protests and much needed conversations about victim blaming and the overwhelming macho culture that dominates the country.

While the stories about foreign victims are always going to get more media coverage, it is the Brazilians caught in a cycle of poverty, crime and government corruption who suffer the most.

I know my parents were particularly worried while I was travelling through Latin America two years ago and there were some scary moments. I'm a fairly experienced traveller, and I certainly take extra precautions when travelling through (or in my current case, living in) a country like Brazil, but there is only so much you can do.

While Brazil can be dangerous, it isn't like the old west. Like any city or country, it is about being sensible and taking some precautions. Coming from Australia you certainly need to make some changes, but it is worth it. Brazil is also filled with very warm genuine people and to avoid it completely for fear of being a victim would be to deprive yourself of meeting these amazing people.

For all of the scary and dangerous places I've been to, the one place I've ever been a victim of a violent crime is Melbourne. Luckily that situation wasn't too serious, but it did teach me that things can happen anywhere, but that shouldn't stop you from doing what you want to do or go where you want to go – you just need to take care and hope for the best.

If you have any information on the missing Australian, Rye Hunt, email his family on FindRye@Gmail.com