Demonstrations and scenarios of perceived school violence in educational Communities in Cartagena, Colombia

Abstract

Most public schools in Cartagena (Colombia) are located in vulnerable areas of the city, characterized by a high incidence of violence, which seriously affects the quality of education, coexistence and the emotional well-being of the educational community. The objective of this work was to analyze perceptions about School Violence (SV), based on the stories of 50 participants: students, mothers and teachers from educational institutions living in vulnerable areas from Cartagena de Indias. In this approach, this paper intends to examine the testimonies of violence at school reported by the different social agents interviewed with the purpose of developing solutions from the school and the community. Results indicate that school violence is perceived in terms of a diversity of manifestations that occur and intertwine in three main scenarios: school, family, and social community. It is perceived as a game, a product of tensions between family and school. It is associated with a deficit of social competences and associated with problems such as drug addiction or poor opportunities for decent jobs. These results provide schools with inputs for the design and implementation of prevention programs and strategies against school violence.