TRAGEDY IN HELIÓPOLIS
What should the return of Heliópolis students be like after the attack? Experts analyze back to school
Episode left three dead last Friday (18)
Published on October 22, 2024 at 05:15
Dom Pedro I Municipal College, in Heliópolis Credit: Disclosure
Active listening, psychological support and patience. These must be priority steps for welcoming a school community after episodes of violence. The survivors of massacre with four deaths in Heliópolis began receiving specialized care this Monday (21). For experts, reception is emergency and essential for the return of activities at school.
It is no coincidence that schools are chosen as targets for attacks of this type. Lawyer Cleo Garcia, who researches the topic in her master’s thesis at the State University of Campinas (Unicamp), explains that a collective identity is constructed in the school context. When she is injured, the impacts are felt throughout the community. In the small city of Heliópolis, grief is shared by residents.
“The school is a territory where members cultivate a sense of identity and community belonging. There are multiple audiences that interact and promote strong ties. Including the exchange of affection, but we cannot deny that it is a source of conflicting events and various types of violence”, he explains. Last year, Cleo Garcia identified all attacks recorded in schools in the country between 2002 and 2023.
Combat actions
The first was recorded in Salvador, at Colégio Sigma, when a 17-year-old teenager murdered two classmates. On October 28, the shooter used a gun belonging to his adoptive father, who was a Technical Police expert. Cleo Garcia’s research identifies that episodes like these have become more recurrent since 2010. For experts, the The rise of extremism is linked to an increase in attacks on schools.
In September 2022 alone, two cases occurred in Bahia. In Barreiras, a student who used a wheelchair died in an attack. In Morro do Chapéu, a 13-year-old teenager tried to attack classmates with flammable materials, homemade bombs and a knife. Returning to these spaces after episodes of violence is no easy task.
“After attacks of this type, research indicates the importance of short, medium and long-term care, adapted for those who were affected. We have seen cases, abroad, in which these follow-ups lasted more than two years, until people felt empowered to return to normal life”, explains Cléo Garcia, who is part of the Study and Research Group on Moral Education (Gepem).
A year ago, the Working Group of Experts on Violence in Schools published a report on the episodes in the country. The document provides recommendations for government actions that can mitigate the damage and prevent new attacks. Among the measures mentioned are: adopting a record of notification of violence in schools and forwarding them to government bodies, valuing mental health care and encouraging family participation.
Hate speech
Among the measures highlighted in the Attack on Schools in Brazil report is the need to debate diversity and human rights in educational units. This happens because, although several factors contribute to the actions of attack perpetrators, they tend to have similar characteristics. They are male, white and young, in most cases.
Furthermore, they tend to be socially isolated, have a history of domestic violence and participate in hate groups on the internet. Among the topics debated in online forums are racism and misogyny, which is the hatred of women. Although the motivation for the crime in Heliópolis has not yet been identified, the Ministry of Justice confirmed that the Cyber Operations Laboratory will assist in the investigation.
For sociologist Miriam Abramovay, a PhD in Educational Sciences who researches school crimes, it is necessary for family members and the school to be aware of the signs that can predict crimes. “We see that there are signs that attacks were going to happen. The authors had already attracted attention for some reason. Be it a note that was sent, because he was very isolated or because he had enemies at school”, he states.
In a statement, the State Education Secretariat (SEC) stated that it is working with the Ministry of Education (MEC) and the city of Heliópolis to serve the school community and families affected by the tragedy. The MEC even provided a team specialized in disasters to deal with traumatic and violent situations in school spaces. The report contacted the city council, but received no response until this publication.
