The number of cases of violence in Brazilian schools has more than tripled in the last decade, rising from 3,7 in 2013 to 13,1 in 2023, according to data released by FAPESP on April 14, in partnership with the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship. This alarming scenario demands more than specific or punitive actions: it requires the strengthening of structural public policies, based on education in human relations and the construction of a culture of democratic coexistence, according to education experts.
In 2023, 13,1 thousand students were treated in public and private health services after episodes of self-harm, attempted suicide or physical and psychological attacks within the school context — a significant increase compared to the 3,7 thousand cases registered in 2013, according to the analysis of the aforementioned institutions. Statistics reveal that 50% of the occurrences were of physical aggression, followed by psychological/moral violence, such as bullying (23,8%) and sexual violence (23,1%). In more than a third of the cases, the aggressor was known to the victim, which highlights the urgency of rethinking relationships within the school.
For experts from the School of Education at Unicamp (FE-Unicamp), this scenario demands the construction of a school culture based on dialogue, cooperation and appreciation of differences, in addition to the active participation of the entire society. Professor and researcher at FE-Unicamp, Telma Vinha, explains:
“Positive coexistence is a coexistence that is good for everyone, of well-being, with relationships of trust. But we defend an idea of coexistence that is ethical and democratic, in the sense of spaces for participation, dialogue, conflict resolution, facing inequalities, dealing with diversity.”
And violence at school, as identified in the FAPESP research, tends to be more frequent among students belonging to minority groups, once again highlighting the presence of social inequality. Telma states that “black children, poor children and LGBTQIA+ people are more frequent targets of bullying, and this is often treated as something 'normal'. We need to break with this naturalization”. For her, ethical and democratic coexistence must be at the center of school education: “We need to educate individuals who know how to dialogue, cooperate and face inequalities”.
The UNESCO representative in Brazil, Maria Rebeca Otero, emphasizes that schools need to offer educational spaces for this type of coexistence: “We need to work on those pillars of education: learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together and learning to be. We have to train ourselves for coexistence.”
Professor César Nunes, a researcher in the “Ethics, Diversity and Democracy in Public Schools” Group at the Institute of Advanced Studies at Unicamp, who works on a project focused on democratic coexistence, explains that “coexistence has many aspects, some very positive. Others not so, such as bullying. Coexistence should be understood as a structuring public policy: “It has two pillars — strengthening good relationships and confronting violence. And this requires the involvement of everyone — including students — in building a more fair, humane and plural school environment.”
The need for student engagement in tackling school violence, also another very important factor, was highlighted in the IV Itinerant Research and Extension Seminars: School Coexistence in Focus, held at Unicamp by education experts, such as the UNESCO representative in Brazil, Maria Rebeca Otero. For her, student leadership is essential: “Young people need to be protagonists in the fight against bullying, in the promotion of peace and mental health. The school must offer ways for this to happen, whether through listening spaces, discussion groups or projects integrated with the community”.
The increase in cases of school violence between 2022 and 2023 has multiple causes, as identified by Fapesp research: devaluation of teachers, normalization of hate speech, precariousness of school infrastructure, domestic violence and lack of preparation to deal with issues such as misogyny and racism. Added to these factors is the growth of so-called “virtual morbid communities”, which promote destructive content, and the increase in hospital records.
There are legal mechanisms and public policies to combat violence in schools, as a last resort. The criminalization of bullying and cyberbullying by Law 14.811/2024, for example, provides for punishments ranging from fines to imprisonment, and represented progress in cases involving adults. However, experts warn that legislation alone is not enough and, furthermore, coexistence problems can be learning opportunities at school and taking legal action excludes the possibility of learning from mistakes, reinforces Telma. For Nunes, “it is necessary to build a public policy that acts in a network, creating waves of transformation based on daily coexistence.”
Educational solution for democratic coexistence
The program Between us, conceived by researcher Telma, together with professor Nunes, is an example of an initiative that combines theory, practice and active listening of school communities. The program is adopted in the municipal public school networks of Vitória (ES) and São Paulo (SP), with a direct impact on more than 620 schools. The program is based on the idea that school violence cannot be normalized or dealt with in isolation — it is necessary to involve the entire school community, including students, in the construction of lasting solutions that are sensitive to local realities.
The program focuses on collaborative training, open and adaptable materials, communities of practice and support networks. More than resolving specific conflicts, it seeks to bring about cultural transformations, encouraging dialogue, justice, solidarity and respect for diversity in everyday school life.
Maria Rebeca believes that: “the Entre Nós Program is an appropriate and recommended solution precisely because it is based on listening to teachers, administrators, and school communities and is rooted in the real needs of education.” She concludes by reminding everyone that the commitment to confronting violence needs to be collective. “It cannot come from just one sector. Society as a whole needs to commit to it—governments, schools, families, academia, all of us. The future of education is directly linked to the quality of our human relationships.”
The hope, therefore, lies in strengthening experiences like Entre Nós — capable of transforming schools into territories of listening, respect and democracy.
