A cause célèbre that has captured the attention of the Jalisco public is an incident of what is being called bullying against a 13-year-old Guadalajara boy named Wualberto, nicknamed Walas, who has been in a coma for several days after suffering blows to the head at the hands of one or more classmates.
According to the boy’s uncle, Mario Garcia, the offending party punched Walas a number of times and slammed his head against a bench. Apparently, a teacher came upon the boy lying in the dirt but neither investigated further nor reported the incident. Later, complaining of not feeling well, Walas went home, where he collapsed and was rushed to a hospital. During the ambulance ride, the EMT informed his grandmother that the boy had suffered a stroke.
Walas’ family has brought charges, and both the State Human Rights Commission and the Department of Education (SEP)have opened investigations into the matter.
According to SEP data, more than 2,000 cases of bullying have been reported in the past five years.