Protest at Bogotá school ended in clashes with Esmad

In the town of Ciudad de Bolívar, south of Bogotá, several students from El Ensueño School demonstrated in front of the campus for an alleged sexual abuse that may have been committed inside the institution. The protest resulted in clashes between protesters and the Mobile Anti-Riot Squadron (ESMAD).

According to reports, the 14-year-old girl had suffered sexual violence by another student on the campus in one of the institution's bathrooms.

As reported by some minors, there have been more than 30 complaints of sexual harassment in this institution and the case of a teacher who allegedly assaulted a mother and a minor verbally and physically.

The sit-in, which began peacefully, was framed by disturbances to public order that hindered mobility in the sector and pedestrian crossing. Therefore, he was present in the personal place of the Ministry of Education, the Personería de Bogotá and Family Welfare, in coordination with the Secretariat of Security and the Local Mayor's Office of Ciudad Bolívar.

According to the report of the Ministry of Security, when the demonstration began, the team of managers of their entity was activated. It was the managers who made a first intervention when “about 60 protesters try to paint and violate the door of the institution”.

Later, the Mayor's Office said: “Protesters decide to mobilize around the school. Some break the school's entrance windows with stones, one of them tries to enter the school and ESMAD intervenes to remove the demonstrators, in this fact two people were lightly beaten, but they do not allow the attention of institutions”

The protesters announced that this Friday there will be a sit-in in front of the school again.

The mayor of Bogotá, Claudia López, confirmed that this Friday, March 18, she will meet with the Attorney General of the Nation, Francisco Barbosa, at 4:00 in the afternoon. The president will present a strategy to strengthen the route of attention, investigation and prosecution of complaints of abuse and sexual violence against children in the city's educational institutions.

“The Prosecutor of the Nation, Francisco Barbosa, has confirmed to me that tomorrow Friday at 4:00 in the afternoon he is receiving us. He has a total commitment like that of our Ministry of Education and we have from the Mayor's Office of Bogotá,” said the mayor at a press conference held in the town of Barrios Unidos.

It should be recalled that the meeting was raised after several cases of sexual abuse were heard in schools in Bogotá. In fact, the Ministry of Security indicated that so far this year there have been 702 cases in the capital, of which 276 are children under 14 years of age, that is, about 40% of the reported cases.

Faced with this situation, the mayor explained that she will propose to the Prosecutor to repeat the strategy that has been put forward by the District in cases of violence against women. “It is working well to prosecute homicides,” said López and believes that if the same procedure is applied in public and private schools in Bogotá, it will be possible to “prosecute violence against children and young people.”

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