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“The 15-year-old girls were escorted to the ball held in a Copacabana dancehall Friday night by members of the Pacifying Police Unit from their community. The police units have re-conquered slums ruled for decades by drug-dealing gangs. The girls were coiffed and made up by volunteers, and their dresses were loaned by a formal wear shop. Debutante balls, which mark a girl’s transition from childhood to adulthood, have been a custom among upper-middle-class and wealthy Brazilian families, but are usually out of reach for girls growing up in Rio’s slums”. – The Palm Beach Post


The Santa Marta favela, one of Rio's oldest slums, is seen on December 3, 2009 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Santa Marta is one of a number of favelas where police are attempting a softer touch by participating in community policing after they clear the area of drug gangs. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images via The Palm Beach Post)

The Santa Marta favela, one of Rio's oldest slums, is seen on December 3, 2009 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Santa Marta is one of a number of favelas where police are attempting a softer touch by participating in community policing after they clear the area of drug gangs. In figures released by the IBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística) statistics agency it was found that an average of 68 young Brazilian men died violently each day between 1998 and 2008. These numbers included murder, traffic accidents and gang violence involving the police. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images via The Palm Beach Post)




A brother and sister in the home they share in the Santa Marta favela on December 7, 2009 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images via The Palm Beach Post)

A brother and sister in the home they share in the Santa Marta favela on December 7, 2009 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images via The Palm Beach Post)




A teenage girl from the Santa Marta favela slum puts on a pair of high heels for a group debutante ball organized by the Pacifying Police Unit from her neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, August 29, 2014. The ball, which relied on volunteers who coiffed and made up the girls and a formal wear shop that loaned the dresses, helped build goodwill between pacified favelas' residents and the officers who patrol them. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo via The Palm Beach Post)

A teenage girl from the Santa Marta favela slum puts on a pair of high heels for a group debutante ball organized by the Pacifying Police Unit from her neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, August 29, 2014. The ball, which relied on volunteers who coiffed and made up the girls and a formal wear shop that loaned the dresses, helped build goodwill between pacified favelas' residents and the officers who patrol them. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo via The Palm Beach Post)




A girl holds still for make-up before the debutante ball.  All of the debutantes turned 15 this year, but few had the means to celebrate the milestone with one of the lavish blowouts that are de rigueur among wealthier Brazilians. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo via The Palm Beach Post)

A girl holds still for make-up before the debutante ball. All of the debutantes turned 15 this year, but few had the means to celebrate the milestone with one of the lavish blowouts that are de rigueur among wealthier Brazilians. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo via The Palm Beach Post)




Teenage girls get dressed for their debutante ball, which relied on volunteers who coiffed and made up the girls and a formal wear shop that loaned the dresses. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo via The Palm Beach Post)

Teenage girls get dressed for their debutante ball, which relied on volunteers who coiffed and made up the girls and a formal wear shop that loaned the dresses. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo via The Palm Beach Post)




Two girls practice the waltz as they get ready for the ball. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo via The Palm Beach Post)

Two girls practice the waltz as they get ready for the ball. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo via The Palm Beach Post)




A girl from the Santa Marta favela exits a police car, taking the hand of an officer who patrols her neighborhood as she arrives for the debutante ball organized by her slum's Pacifying Police Unit. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo via The Palm Beach Post)

A girl from the Santa Marta favela exits a police car, taking the hand of an officer who patrols her neighborhood as she arrives for the debutante ball organized by her slum's Pacifying Police Unit. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo via The Palm Beach Post)




The girls listen to a police officer speak about them during their group debutante ball. It is hoped that the ball will build goodwill between the pacified favelas' residents and the officers who patrol them. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo via The Palm Beach Post)

The girls listen to a police officer speak about them during their group debutante ball. It is hoped that the ball will build goodwill between the pacified favelas' residents and the officers who patrol them. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo via The Palm Beach Post)




Jaqueline, one of the debutantes, dances with a police officer. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo via The Palm Beach Post)

Jaqueline, one of the debutantes, dances with a police officer. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo via The Palm Beach Post)




Girls celebrate during their group debutante ball. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo via The Palm Beach Post)

Girls celebrate during their group debutante ball. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo via The Palm Beach Post)




A police officer kisses the hand of a debutante. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo via The Palm Beach Post)

A police officer kisses the hand of a debutante. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo via The Palm Beach Post)




Jaqueline wipes away tears of joy during the ball. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo via The Palm Beach Post)

Jaqueline wipes away tears of joy during the ball. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo via The Palm Beach Post)
31 Aug 2014 08:58:00