Minister Lavín calls for an end to "bullying"

The authority pointed out that he will help the parents relocate the small boy to another establishment. Last year
the Mineduc received more than 2,000 complaints regarding bullying. por UPI - 19/04/2010 - 09:06

The Education Minister, Joaquín Lavín, visited the Children’s building of the
Sótero del Río Hospital to check on the state of health of the boy who was a
victim of bullying last Thursday and to express his support to the boy’s
parents

After visiting the minor and meeting with his parents, the minister said that “it
is very important in these cases that the silence taboo of complicity be
broken, where it is common knowledge that a student is being bullied, but
neither his classmates, and what is more regrettable, nor his teachers that
knew, have informed this and in fact have become part of the silence
complicity. When there are adults involved it is even more serious.”

The Mineduc head has offered full support, both legal and psychological as well as help in finding a new School for the affected.

Also, minister Lavín highlighted the parent’s courage since their example in denouncing this type of behaviour has led to other
parents denouncing similar attacks to their children. Last year the Mineduc received more than 2,000 complaints of this kind.

Minister Lavín also spoke about the academic coexistence that will exist this year because due to the recent earthquake and tsunami,
some schools are receiving students from other schools which could generate conflicts between students.” It is a year where we have
to be very alert and I want to stress that the Education Department will be very strict and will not tolerate mistreatment or bullying”
he said.

THE CASE

According to police records, the minor of initials V.G.C. had being mistreated by his classmates for a while now. This is known as
“bullying”. The last aggression occurred last Thursday morning, just when the parents where denouncing mistreatment or violence to
a student to the Crisol School’s director.

The boy had a number of bruises and signs of violence on his body. He confessed that his classmates had been hitting him since the
beginning of the school year.

The parents came out of the meeting and were then told by some students that V.G.C. was in the toilets, where they found him with
cuts to his forearms. He was immediately taken to the above mentioned hospital where the wounds were qualified as severe and was
therefore left interned

The minor stated that he was injured when he was pushed into a window by the classmates who usually bully him. This motivated the
present complaint.