The mother of a nine-year-old boy who lost the tips of two fingers in an alleged bullying incident at Fonte Coberta Primary School in Cinfães has confessed to being victimized by reprisals from the parents of the involved children. As a result, she has decided to move to a city about an hour away.
“I came to Portugal seeking a better life. I lived in Porto for three years and then moved to a cheaper region. But now, I have to change everything again. I’m scared,” Nívia Estevam admitted.
Since reporting the episode, the 27-year-old’s family has been temporarily staying with in-laws, returning to their home only to feed their pet, a cat named Shelbinho. However, Nívia has decided to move permanently, fearing further reprisals.
“My fear is that it is a small town, like an inland region in Brazil. People know each other, and since the aggressors’ parents have family and friends in the area, I don’t know what they might do. I don’t know their malice,” Nívia stated.
The child’s mother revealed that the move will be completed in one day with the help of family. It will also be necessary to enroll the boy in a new school, but the young woman confessed fearing more violence incidents, as “many regions in Portugal are racist and xenophobic.”
The bullying case was reported by Nívia herself, who identified on Instagram as the “mother of the nine-year-old who had his fingertips amputated inside the school in Portugal.”
“Two children closed the door on my son’s fingers” when he went to the bathroom, preventing him “from leaving and asking for help,” she recounted in a post, adding that the boy “lost a lot of blood and had to crawl under the door with his fingers already amputated.”
A nine-year-old boy lost the tip of three fingers at a school in Cinfães, Viseu district. The mother claims that her son was a victim of “recurring aggressions” by classmates. The school has launched an internal investigation.
Natacha Nunes Costa | 14:45 – 14/11/2025
The child underwent three hours of surgery at São João Hospital in Porto and will suffer from “physical and psychological sequelae,” she said, requesting legal assistance to cope with the current situation.
According to Nívia, the incident on Monday, November 10, occurred after she had already made other complaints about “hair pulling, kicking, and choking,” and “no action was taken by the school.”
The mother criticized the fact that the school did not call the Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP), failed to explain the gravity of the situation (which she only realized while in the ambulance), and that staff cleaned “the entire site” of the incident.
“The school is treating this as a prank that went wrong,” she lamented.
School Group and Education Inspectorate Launched Investigations
Meanwhile, the Souselo School Group has initiated an internal inquiry to determine what happened, according to its director, Carlos Silveira.
Carlos Silveira declined to provide further details about the incident on Monday, as the internal inquiry is ongoing, but assured that “emergency services were promptly called” and the school followed appropriate procedures.
“There is no PSP in Cinfães, only GNR. When INEM (National Institute of Medical Emergency) is called and considers it a serious situation, they automatically contact the security forces,” he explained.
The Education Inspectorate has also initiated “an investigation into the incident“ at the request of the director general of the Directorate-General of School Establishments.
Nívia’s plea for assistance was heard, and a group of 15 lawyers has offered to handle the case.
“We will proceed with the complaint to the Public Prosecutor and handle the administrative process, the school’s civil liability in terms of surveillance, and the civil case,” revealed lawyer Catarina Zuccaro.
Regarding the criminal aspect, the lawyers will study what can be done because “those involved are minors,” but they must be held accountable, she added.
“We are 15 lawyers who will take action. Each group will handle a part: criminal, administrative, and civil,” explained Catarina Zuccaro.
