A disturbing video has gone viral of a high school boy being repeatedly beaten by male students. The physical assault occurred inside a building and apparently stemmed from an unpaid debt owed by the victim.
There were reportedly seven boys, including the victim, at the scene. Six are shown on camera, while the seventh recorded the assault. Those on camera can be seen wearing the same blue uniform, which Nationwide News has confirmed to be Jamaica College’s (JC) school attire.
The students of the prominent corporate area high school display gang-like behaviour in the video. While two boys were assaulting the victim, three others encircled them. The victim is struck around eleven times while the boys demand to know when the money that was apparently overdue will be repaid.
The victim is slapped around eight times in the face by the main aggressor, who is taller and physically bigger than him. The main aggressor grips the victim’s shirt at the front while enquiring about the money. When he hits him, he uses both hands, seven times with the right hand and once with the left.
When the victim tries to shield his face, his attackers order him to lower his hands. The aggressor also strikes the victim in the chest. Next to him, his accomplice is armed with a belt, which he uses to strike the victim twice before the footage ends.
An investigation has since been launched into the incident, according to a statement from the Ministry of Education. In the press release, the ministry expressed that student safety is its top priority while condemning the actions of the students. It emphasised that violence and bullying are not acceptable in schools across Jamaica.
The statement said that specialised teams attached to the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information (MOESYI) were quickly deployed to the high school involved as part of the probe. The authorities are now working to identify the individuals in the video, and the perpetrators will face the appropriate consequences for their actions.
Senator Dr the Honourable Dana Morris Dixon, Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, has urged the public to help prevent similar incidents “by reporting any knowledge of bullying through the appropriate and responsible channels to seek redress and militate against this scourge.”
JC has not yet released a statement to address the distressing incident. It comes on the heels of another physical assault that took place at the school, which left a schoolboy with several injuries and mounting medical bills. That schoolboy was reportedly beaten by bullies, and the school disputed the claims, indicating that they do not have a bullying problem.
