A 14-year-old teenager was arrested after stabbing a 15-year-old colleague in the back. The case occurred inside the Irmã Teresa school, in Palhoça, in Greater Florianópolis. The teenager was apprehended. According to the police, notes were found in the teenager’s notebook where he said that he could no longer bear bullying and racism in the schools where he attended and planned the crime.
This Content Is Only For Subscribers
To unlock this content, subscribe to INTERLIRA Reports.
Workgroup
In November 2023, the Ministry of Education (MEC) released the final report prepared by the Interministerial Working Group on Preventing and Combating Violence in Schools. The group was established in response to the attack on a daycare center in Blumenau (SC), which resulted in the deaths of four children.
Attack Numbers
The document shows that, from January to October 2023, the total number of attacks registered in the country increased by more than 100% compared to 2022. There were 16 cases in 2023 compared to seven registered in 2022. Between the years 2002 and 2023, around 164 attacks of extreme violence in schools were reported, killing 49 people and injuring another 115.
Firearms
In the records, the predominance of lethality in cases where firearms were used stands out. Of the total number of victims, 38 were shot dead, representing 77.55%. Another 11 deaths were the result of bladed weapons, equivalent to 22.45%.
Public School
Another factor that draws attention concerns the fact that registered attacks are mostly in public institutions. Of the 37 schools affected, 30 are public (14 municipal and 16 state), and seven are private.
Causes
As the report explains, this is a multicausal phenomenon, which may involve many influencing factors. Bullying and other issues linked to mental health, despite being a significant part of the problem, are not considered, alone, determinants of violent attacks. For the document, aspects such as weaknesses in the human formation of students, the growth of movements with extremist discourses in society, and the lack of control over hateful practices disseminated in digital media have favored teenagers being attracted to groups and communities in the virtual environment. of hate that mobilize attacks.
Solution Proposed
Among the emergency solutions, the report proposes thirteen points to be worked on as a way of promoting and preventing attacks in schools by the Brazilian State. Some of them are dismembering and confronting the formation and activity of hate and extremism subcommunities; strict control over the sale, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition; hold digital platforms responsible for the circulation of extremist and illegal content; improve coexistence and the welcoming environment in Brazilian educational institutions and promote mental health policies in schools.
Armed Security
Meanwhile, the Chamber’s Education Committee rejected on Wednesday (03/07) a bill that would oblige education networks to hire property surveillance and armed security services to operate in public schools. The project provided for the creation of the Safe School program, which in addition to mandatory armed security, also provided for the installation of surveillance cameras in strategic areas of schools and access control systems, such as turnstiles.
Analysis:
The recent arrest of a 14-year-old teenager after stabbing a classmate at a school in Palhoça highlights the urgency of effective measures to combat violence in Brazilian educational institutions. This incident, motivated by allegations of bullying and racism, highlights the complexity of the problem and the need for multifaceted strategies.
Initiatives such as armed security in schools, similar to the phenomenon observed in the USA, worry experts. They highlight the need for an ongoing pedagogical approach to reduce tensions within classrooms, which are often related to students’ social issues, bullying, or family disturbances.
Sources: CNN Brasil, GOV.BR, CNTE, O Globo.
