“The Inspectorate-General of Education and Science has determined the initiation of an inquiry into the incident, at the request of the Director-General of the Directorate-General for School Establishments”, revealed the office of the Minister of Education in response.
On Friday, Carlos Silveira, the director of the Souselo School Group in Cinfães, Viseu district, where a child had fingertips amputated on Monday, indicated the initiation of an internal investigation “to ascertain the facts.”
The situation was reported by Nivia Estevam, who on Instagram identified herself as the “mother of the 9-year-old child who had fingertips amputated inside the school in Portugal”, in the municipality of Cinfães.
“Two children closed the door on my son’s fingers” when he went to the bathroom, preventing him “from leaving and asking for help,” explained Nivia Estevam in one post, adding that the boy “lost a lot of blood and had to crawl under the door with already amputated fingers”.
The boy underwent three hours of surgery at São João Hospital in Porto and is expected to have “physical and psychological consequences”, she stated, seeking legal assistance to cope with the situation.
According to Nivia Estevam, the episode on Monday took place after making previous complaints about “hair pulling, kicking, and choking,” none of which resulted in any action by the school”.
Natacha Nunes Costa | 14:45 – 14/11/2025
The mother criticized the fact that, on Monday, the school did not call the police, did not explain the gravity of the situation (which she only realized en route to the hospital), and that staff cleaned the “entire location” of the incident.
“The school is treating this as a joke that went wrong”, she lamented.
Carlos Silveira declined further clarification about what occurred on Monday, citing the ongoing internal inquiry, but assured that “emergency services were promptly called” and the school followed appropriate procedures.
“There is no police in Cinfães, only GNR. When INEM [National Institute of Medical Emergency] is called, if it considers it a serious situation, it automatically contacts security forces”, he explained.
Lusa | 14:12 – 14/11/2025
Nivia Estevam’s request for assistance was heard, and a group of 15 lawyers has already offered to handle the case.
“We are going to file a complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office and handle the administrative process, the school’s civil responsibility in terms of supervision, and the civil process”, stated lawyer Catarina Zuccaro.
Regarding the criminal aspect, the lawyers will assess possible actions, given that “the involved parties are minors,” yet they must be held accountable, she added.
“We are 15 lawyers who will act. Each team will handle a part: criminal, administrative, and civil,” explained Catarina Zuccaro.
