The life of Brazilian Nívia Estevam changed completely in November 2025, when her son José, then 9 years old, had two fingers mutilated inside a public school in Portugal.
The family claims to have had to leave the city where they lived, reorganize their financial and professional lives to support the child's recovery, find a new school for the boy and deal with the emotional consequences left by the episode.
A year later, the mother is still looking for answers and accountability for the case, which happened at Escola Básica de Fonte Coberta, in the city of Cinfães, in northern Portugal.
"For everyone else involved, life continued normally," he said in an interview with BBC News Brasil. "But we had to move cities and rebuild everything."
"My son was a sweet child, who spoke to everyone. Now he is a completely withdrawn child, full of traumas, with physical marks that will last for life."
Nívia states that she no longer feels safe staying in Portugal after what happened to José, but decided to wait for all legal developments before leaving the country and settling elsewhere.
According to the mother's report, the boy was injured after two classmates chased him into the bathroom and trapped his hand in the door, causing the partial amputation of two fingers on his left hand and forcing him to undergo surgery.
Nívia states that her son had already suffered episodes of bullying and previous attacks at school, including kicks, hair pulling and intimidation related to his Brazilian origin. According to her, the cases were communicated to management, but not properly considered.
In August this year, the General Inspectorate of Education (IGEC) concluded an investigation into the case. The investigation rejected the complaints presented by the family related to episodes of bullying, school negligence and failures in the assistance provided after the accident.
The final report of the investigation also states that what happened in the school bathroom was an accident and that José had closed the door with his own hand, during a game with his other classmates, who did not realize the seriousness of his injuries and did not commit any illegal act.
Nívia disputes the report's conclusions and claims that the evidence presented was not properly considered.
"They removed my son [from the position] of victim and placed him as the culprit, disregarding his own testimony [about what happened]", he says.
BBC News Brasil contacted the Portuguese Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation to provide clarification on the investigation led by the General Inspectorate, but did not receive a response until the publication of this report.
The Souselo School Group, of which the school where José studied is part, also did not respond to requests for comment sent by the report. At the time of the events, the body also launched an internal investigation.
José underwent three hours of surgery.
Nívia says she was outraged and overcome with a feeling of impunity upon receiving the conclusion of the investigation. "They don't recognize in any way that bullying occurred," he says.
"It's as if my son's life was worthless, you know? As if that 9-year-old child who suffered all that didn't deserve justice, didn't deserve anything."
Although the administrative investigation has been closed, legal developments are still ongoing.
The family appealed the inspection decision and is awaiting a new analysis of the case.
At the same time, processes related to the responsibilities of the school and the Portuguese State continue in the Public Ministry and civil justice.
The Brazilian claims to place more expectations on legal actions than on the administrative investigation. "I have hope because the courts work with evidence. And I have evidence," he said.
'He asks me if there will be justice'
According to Nívia, the months following the accident were marked by constant travel to medical and psychological appointments, interruptions at work and the need to find a new school for José.
The situation worsened, according to the mother, after the case gained repercussions. She reports feeling isolated in the community where she lived and states that she decided to leave the city because she feared the environment that had formed around her family.
“The other parents were very hostile to me on WhatsApp and never even apologized,” he says. "The town is very small, a village, and they've all known each other for a long time. We had just moved there [when everything happened]."
Now 10 years old, José is still undergoing psychological counseling. According to the mother, although she managed to adapt to the new school and made new friends in the new city where they live in Portugal, she still lives with the physical and emotional scars left by the accident.
"He was very afraid of going back to school. But thank God, the children at the new school welcomed him very well", he says.
"He's already had his fifth year assessments and got good grades. He's still being monitored, but he's happy."
And while awaiting the next developments, Nívia states that the main objective has been to help her son rebuild his own life.
"I only talk to him about the subject when he wants to talk, but I avoid it as much as possible", he reports.
"He sometimes asks me what will happen to the people [involved], if there will be justice", he says. "And I need to find a way to explain it that a 10-year-old understands."
