Global Courant 2023-05-26 11:05:18
The murder of the young Celso Enrique Girón Ramos, 17, a student at the Georg Kerschensteiner Industrial Technical Institute, in Mazatenango, Suchitepéquez, at the hands of former students during one of the so-called “baptisms” for first-year students, exposes the persistence of such nefarious and aberrant practice. It is a destructive custom that only exhibits patterns of machismo, violence, and arrogance on the part of those who perpetuate such cycles that have nothing to do with a welcome, much less with the postulates of an educational center from which they have graduated.
According to statements by the director of said campus, disseminated by local media after the tragedy, this tradition has been practiced for 50 years but has degenerated from a festive act to a session of humiliation. Unfortunately, it is not the first nor the only site in which such despicable routines occur, based on false ancestors of seniority and distorted concepts of belonging that are nothing more than a form of harassment.
The underlying problem is violent behavior patterns, sometimes stemming from harsh family experiences or simple unresolved emotional conflicts. This does not constitute justification or excuse, since many people live traumatic experiences in childhood but mature, learn, forgive and even have the conviction of never repeating such mistakes in their family. It is worth mentioning the terrible example of local leaders and even mayors and officials who boast of being violent, carrying weapons in plain sight and, last but not least, enjoying impunity. Foolishness, stubbornness and mental ballasts are usually causes of the continuity of these acts.
As recently as May 6, the death of the student Arón Manasés Alonzo, 13 years old, was registered as a result of a beating inflicted by “colleagues”. Unfortunately, the complaints of previous attacks were not addressed, which already implies negligence. According to the Ministry of Education, there have been 23 complaints of bullying this year, although the protocols adopted to deal with them are unknown.
It is necessary that the educational authorities reinforce the security protocols in the school facilities and their perimeter, with the support of the National Civil Police. Likewise, codes of conduct can and should be established with strict observation for students, but also for teachers and directors, who cannot claim ignorance or impotence, whether in public or private establishments. Last April, the video of two high school students from a center in Jutiapa who quarreled for several minutes without anyone intervening to separate them was broadcast on social networks; goading could even be heard to intensify the confrontation with blows. It is unknown if there were sanctions, calls for attention or any action of psychological orientation for those involved.
The problem is so serious that humiliating acts are still reported in certain units of the University of San Carlos, in which burnt oil, feces and malodorous liquids are smeared on recently admitted students. It is sold as humor and “tradition”, but in reality it is humiliation, dishonor and an expression of vulgarity. The promoters affirm that participation is “voluntary”, but even in this the collective pressure rooted in the natural human need for belonging and acceptance is implicit. That is why these practices are so pernicious.
