MEC presents 13 measures to combat attacks on schools in Brazil

The Ministry of Education (MEC) published this Friday (3) a report with 13 measures for the federal government to prevent and combat attacks on schools. In addition to the actions, the ministry also points out possible causes for the problem and cites, among them, the population’s access to firearms and extremism. The information was released by CNN Brazil.

The MEC report, developed by a working group made up of 68 people, was reported by Professor Daniel Cara, PhD in Education from USP, affiliated with PSOL, and general coordinator of the National Campaign for the Right to Education and member of the National Forum of Education.

According to the document, between 2002 and 2023, around 36 attacks on schools in Brazil were recorded. In them, 49 people died and 115 were injured. In 16 of them, the criminals used firearms, in another 16, sharp weapons. In four, they used weapons of other types.

The most recent attack occurred at a school in the East Zone of São Paulo, on October 23rd. A 16-year-old teenager killed a student and left three students injured, after carrying out the shooting attack because he claimed to be a victim of bullying and homophobia.

The MEC points out in the report that in all attacks, the criminals were motivated by hate speech or online communities of extreme violence, “which recruit young people based on emotional resentment and reactionary values ​​to carry out these violent actions at schools”. “Bullying is part of the problem, but alone it does not explain the attacks,” says the document.

Check out the measures suggested by the MEC group:

1. Dismember and confront the formation and activities of hate and extremism subcommunities, including actions to support young people who are co-opted by these groups;
2. Promote a culture of peace; implement strict control over the sale, possession and use of firearms and ammunition; and develop actions to monitor shooting clubs and the like, including prohibiting children and adolescents from accessing weapons and these spaces;
3. Hold social networks responsible for the circulation of extremist and illegal content;
4. Hold accountable people who share videos of attacks and information about perpetrators of attacks;
5. Update hate crime and bullying laws
6. Regulate and implement the National System for Monitoring and Combating Violence in Schools and the law that establishes School Councils and School Council Forums;
7. Improve coexistence and the welcoming environment in Brazilian educational institutions, ensuring good physical infrastructure and space for dialogic and inclusive interrelations, with an emphasis on democratic management, the promotion of democratic and civil coexistence, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts;
8. Ensure that schools can operate in accordance with constitutional and legal provisions, with valued education professionals, with adequate initial and continuing training (including on the topic in question), and good working conditions;
9. Promote mental health policies in schools, increasing investments in expanding and strengthening the psychosocial care network;
10. Expand community spaces for leisure, socialization, sports and culture;
11. Develop guidelines, guidelines and protocols appropriate to the Brazilian reality for action after attacks;
12. Agree with the press and social networks on protocols on the coverage of cases of violence in schools and against schools to avoid encouraging new attacks;
13. Expand and improve the intelligence sector on hate crimes, in addition to establishing coordinated federal actions on the topic of attacks on schools.