Nine-year-old boy loses fingers in extreme bullying case at Portuguese school

A nine-year-old Brazilian boy had two fingertips severed by classmates at a Portuguese school in what lawyers describe as an extreme case of bullying that has prompted a major legal response.

Twenty-seven lawyers have joined forces to represent the child, who was attacked on 10 November at Fonte Coberta Basic School in Cinfães, Viseu district.

The boy was trapped in a school bathroom by two classmates who closed the door and mutilated his fingers. Unable to call for help, he lost significant blood and had to crawl under the door with his fingers already severed, according to his mother Nivia Estevam.

Estevam told Brazilian magazine Crescer that her son had endured previous attacks, including getting kicked, choked and having his hair pulled by schoolmates, before the November incident.

The child underwent three hours of surgery at São João Hospital in Porto and now requires pain medication and antibiotics every 12 hours. He takes sleeping pills due to psychological trauma and cries nightly while reliving the attack, according to his mother.

"He's fine during the day because I let him use his cell phone and watch television, but when bedtime comes, he relives the events of (November) 10th," Estevam said.

Legal team assembled

Lawyer Ana Paula Filomeno, leading the civil case, told Euronews the legal team is divided into civil, criminal and psychological support areas to handle what she called a "traumatic situation."

Filomeno said investigators are examining whether xenophobia played a role, though she emphasised the origin of the attack was "irrelevant" given the severe harm caused.

"We know that this is something that is happening in schools in Portugal, it is not an isolated case," she added.

The lawyer criticised authorities for failing to protect children, arguing the state and school breached their duty of care.

"You cannot have an unsafe environment where you are forced to leave your child," Filomeno said.

Estevam also condemned school staff for cleaning the incident scene before authorities arrived, saying the school treated the attack "like a prank gone wrong."

Rising youth violence

Psychologist Melanie Tavares told Euronews that bullying cases are increasing among younger children, with official data showing student violence cases rising from 4,620 in 2020-2021 to 7,804 in 2024-2025.

"The kids are having a lot of difficulty managing and controlling their more aggressive impulses," Tavares explained.

She attributed the trend to increasingly "dehumanised" school playgrounds where children have limited outlets for proper play.

Warning signs include reluctance to attend school, psychosomatic illnesses appearing on Sunday nights, sleep pattern changes and unexplained injuries.

The Souselo School Group has opened an internal inquiry into the incident. Director Carlos Silveira confirmed that emergency services were called promptly and that insurance companies were contacted.

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