The recent attacks on schools in Brazil are not isolated events. In the last two weeks alone, there were three attacks with deaths and injuries, in São Paulo, Blumenau and Belém (southeast, south and north regions of the country, respectively), and two others that were demobilized before they took place, in Londrina and Rio de Janeiro (south and southeast regions of the country), in addition to dozens of registered threats.
The wave of attacks in a short period of time can begin to be explained by the imitation effect. "Aggressors do this by imitation, mainly by inspiration in relation to the episodes of Columbine [1996, in the USA], Suzano [São Paulo, 2019] and Realengo [Rio de Janeiro, 2011]", says Cleo Garcia, a lawyer and specialist in Restorative Justice, co-author of the research Attacks of extreme violence in schools in Brazil, by Unicamp (State University of Campinas). "Through these attacks, they hope for recognition, fame, to become, in their words, a legend, as they understand that these others who have already perpetrated this type of crime have become."
There are, however, many other factors that contribute to the realization of this type of violence. One of them is the co-option of children and young people by far-right groups through the internet. "We can also say that they are co-opted by extremist discourses", she explains.
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The co-opted students’ profile is generally the same - they are often teenagers, white, heterosexual, show a taste for violence and a cult of weapons, say Garcia and Marcele Frossard, advisor for social policies at the National Campaign for the Right to Education and a researcher in the fields of education, violence and youth. "It is essential to shed light on this aspect, because this violence is related to misogyny. It is no coincidence that women are frequent targets of these attacks", says Frossard.
"There are extremist groups marked by hate speech that have been amplified in Brazil since the second half of last year, also due to the Brazilian electoral process. So there is a lot of hate speech, inciting crime and violence against these social groups, social minorities," says Garcia.
In most cases, these attacks are carried out by students or alumni of the attacked schools. The research in question aims to understand the motivation behind these attacks on the school environment. "Our goal is to discover the meaning of school for these students and former students and why they return to the school", explains.
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In addition, these young people usually report some type of emotional distress. "This student or ex-student already comes from some sort of suffering - which can be of various types, it can be suffering at school, in the family, from bullying, exclusion, a feeling of rejection, of not belonging - which is aggravated by the relationship between themselves, school, family, society’”, says.
In these extremist groups, they find refuge and a sense of belonging, plus a safe environment for venting violent ideas. "A teenager who is in a suffering situation, with hatred, with anger due to a multitude of factors that may be occurring, he finds himself in one of these extremely toxic environments, where people make speeches against women, racist and homophobic speeches, and there he finds a refuge to his pain, resentment, his anger, and there he feels seen and valued.
Prevention and care
For Garcia, the solution is not simple nor will it be quick, because it involves many factors and depends on an intersectoral action. "This solution goes through the creation of public policies that can bring both prevention and postvention programs and these programs also include protocols."
There are, however, more questions than answers. "What would these protocols be? For example, the most recent teenager made publicity on social networks, talked to friends, divulged in every way what he was about to do.What do people do with information like that? And if the person receives a complaint about something like that, what should they do? Where is this going to go? Will it be given quick treatment or will it get in a queue? What are the protocols for welcoming these people who were hit by such an attack?", asks Garcia.
It is also important to be careful with the victims, not only the direct ones. The school community and society in general are also victims of the trauma, which can last for years.
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The aggressor, who in most cases is a minor, must also be the target of public policy. "The teenager who makes this type of attack needs a follow-up. How will his release from internment at a CASA Foundation [an institution that receives young offenders in São Paulo] happen, for example? He will serve a period of at least 3 years, but after that he returns to society. How is this teenager’s return?"
The researcher also highlights the importance of holding social networks accountable. "You can find everything on these social networks these days, which are not regulated and are not responsible for the content either. This is already being debated, but there is still nothing foreseen in the short or medium term", he says.
Edited by: Flávia Chacon
