Originally Posted by
Cable87
I had a Brazilian flatmate for over a year, and he and I talked about this. I'd also heard about this situation over 10 years ago, and yes, apparently it has/does happen(ed). My friend was extremely ashamed about this, so much so that he asked if we could change the subject mid-sentence, as it was something horrible that goes on in his country.
He confirmed what I'd heard before, which is that homeless street kids are occasionally 'culled' (exterminated) to prevent them from robbing local shops and harassing/pick-pocketing/scamming tourists. I can totally understand why he's so ashamed of this. :(