Rochina is a Flavela (slum) just outside of Rio De Janerio. We went on a walking/van tour. At no time did we feel endangered other than the possibility of getting lost in the maze of paths to home. However there was a shoot out on the otherside of the Rochina but our guide recieved a warning call right away - we stayed out of that area. The following is a Wikipedia description.
"Although Rocinha is officially classified as a neighbourhood, many still refer to it as a favela. It developed from a shanty town into an urbanized slum. Today, almost all the houses in Rocinha are made from concrete and brick. Some buildings are three and four stories tall and almost all houses have basic sanitation, plumbing, and electricity. Compared to simple shanty towns or slums, Rocinha has a better developed infrastructure and hundreds of businesses such as banks, medicine stores, bus lines, cable television, including locally based channel TV ROC (TV Rocinha), and, at one time, a McDonalds franchise." Wikipedia
