A nine-year-old Brazilian student had two fingers amputated during class at Escola Bacica de Fonte Coverta in Cinjuães, central Portugal. The boy’s mother, Nivia Estevam, said the boy was a victim of violence. “Some students had their hands stuck in the door and were unable to react,” he said.
Carlos Silveira, director of the Sucero School Group, which oversees the boy’s school, told Brazilian media that he was aware of the fact that “an investigation is currently underway and an internal investigation has been launched in accordance with current law.” The incident was also reported to the PSP (Public Security Police), according to documents obtained by the report.
The attack on the students occurred on the morning of November 10th. “About an hour and a half after I dropped my son off at school, I got a call saying there had been an accident. My grandmother, who drops her son off at school every day, asked if she could come, but I decided to see what actually happened,” Nibia said. “The school was very close to our house, so my mother and I arrived quickly. We found him with a bandage on one hand, and the school staff told us that an ambulance was on its way,” he added.
Nivia still didn’t understand the gravity of what had happened to her son. “On arrival at the São João Hospital in Porto, one of the ambulance crew members told me that two of my son’s fingers had been severed and that I should hold the finger fragments that he had collected at school,” he reported. “I was in a state of shock, but I held myself back so as not to further frighten the boy who kept asking me if I could have his hand rebuilt.”
Upon arriving at the hospital, the Brazilian was taken to the operating room. “I struggled for about three hours until I heard from him,” the mother said. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t repair his finger because part of his nail was missing. His fingers are two smaller than normal,” he explains. The boy spent the night in the hospital and was discharged on Tuesday, November 11th. While her son was undergoing surgery, Nivya called her ex-husband and her son’s father to tell them what had happened. “Even though I have sole custody of my son, it was important for me to let the father know everything,” he emphasizes.
fight against violence
Nivia, who has lived in Portugal for eight years and is six weeks pregnant, pointed out that her son had already been assaulted at school a few days earlier. “On November 5, I told the school that my son had come home with marks on his neck and that other students had pulled his hair and kicked him. The school said that this could be a lie, because children lie. On the day the finger was cut, at first everything was treated as child’s play,” he pointed out. The school assured that everything is under investigation.
The student is currently recovering at home. “I never imagined that something like this would happen to my son. I hope that the school will strictly investigate everything and properly punish those who committed the violent act so that such an incident will never happen again,” Nibia stressed. She stressed that she would go to court to clarify everything. “We understand that children are involved, but it is important to show them that there are limits and that parents generally cannot condone violent behavior in their children,” he added.
When contacted by PÚBLICO Brasil, the Ministry of Education did not respond until the end of this edition.
This text was originally published here.
About The Author
