Brazilian Teachers Face Escalating Violence: Threats, Abuse, and Physical Attacks

A significant portion of Brazilian teachers, over 65%, report experiencing aggression in school environments, according to a survey by the Centro do Professorado Paulista (CPP). This alarming trend includes verbal abuse, psychological and moral aggression, institutional mistreatment, and physical attacks. One educator, identified as Marta, recounted a severe incident in March 2023 where she received death threats from the father of a 6-year-old student due to the child's academic struggles. The parent, reportedly involved in local crime, was dissatisfied with the student's performance and blamed Marta. The incident left Marta deeply traumatized, leading to a temporary leave from her position and ongoing psychological distress, despite the municipality eventually transferring her to another school. She also noted feeling unsupported by school management during the initial police reporting process.

Brazil also ranks highest in violence against teachers among OECD countries, with 47% reporting verbal intimidation or abuse from students, compared to a global average of 18%. Another case involved teacher Michele Ramos in São José dos Campos, who filed a report after students placed a glass shard in her water. Psychologists highlight that teachers face multiple layers of violence, including systemic issues stemming from inadequate public policies, such as the challenges of inclusive education without sufficient resources, and interpersonal conflicts within the school. The Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP) psychologist Renata Paparelli describes this as 'violence of the school,' 'violence in the school,' and 'violence against the school,' encompassing everything from policy failures to vandalism and societal devaluation of education.

Further exacerbating the problem, the Observatório Nacional da Violência contra Educadoras/es at Universidade Federal Fluminense (Onve-UFF) has documented an increase in persecution against teachers, including censorship and online harassment. Physical violence has also occurred, such as a professor named Pedro in São Paulo being punched by a student with autism during an LGBTQIAP+ pride activity. In a more severe incident, teacher Michelle Bernardes suffered a partial amputation of her middle finger while attempting to manage a student with intellectual disabilities during a crisis. These cases underscore a pervasive and multifaceted crisis of violence impacting educators across Brazil.