On February 21, 2023, Norma Lizbeth Ramos, a 14-year-old Mexican student was summoned to a fight by Azahara Aylin Martínez, a classmate. That day, Ramos was hit multiple times with a rock in the face and head by Martínez. Ramos had been a victim of bullying by Martinez and other classmates and was student of Secondary School #0518 (Escuela Secundaria #0518), located in the municipality of San Juan Teotihuacán, State of Mexico. On March 13, Ramos died due to injuries and brain trauma caused by Martínez.[3]
Death of Norma Lizbeth Ramos | |
|---|---|
| Born | Norma Lizbeth Ramos Pérez April 25, 2008[1] |
| Died | March 13, 2023 (aged 14) |
| Cause of death | Head trauma |
| Occupation | Secondary student |
The event was recorded by the girls' classmates and published on social media, the video went viral. The video showed no empathy from the other students who witnessed the moment, who mocked and supported Martinez instead of stopping her.[4] On November 14, Martínez was sentenced to three years of confinement in the detention center for adolescents Quinta del Bosque.[5]
The violent nature of the event, as well as the inability of the educational establishment to prevent this death, caused a widespread social upheaval in Mexico.[6][7] With the problems of bullying, racism and discrimination that are experienced in the country also resurfaced.[8][2][9] The case is popularly known as Norma Lizbeth Case (Caso Norma Lizbeth).
Background
editNorma Lizbeth Ramos Pérez was born on April 25, 2008, in State of Mexico.[10] She was a 14-year-old third year student in Secondary School #0518 (Escuela Secundaria #0518).[11][12] According to some students, Ramos had been a victim of bullying and discrimination since elementary school, because of her skin color.[13] The attacks that she received included assaults, humiliation and abuse, all perpetrated by classmates, in especially from a female classmate Azahara Aylin Martínez.
"My daughter did talk to me, she told me that her classmates bullied her because of the color of her skin, because of her hair, because she was pretty, maybe that's why they did a lot of things to her, my daughter was very quiet, because I advised her that she was not rude and whatever thing that happen, she need to tell to the teacher."
— Norma Lizbeth Ramos' mother, explaining the reasons that why her daughter suffered bullying.[14]
The attacks against to her continued once she went to secondary school, which she had expressed on several occasions to her family and teachers, and were the reason why she no longer wanted to attend school.[15][16]
Death
editFight with Martínez
editRamos studied in the afternoon shift and had stopped attending due to the bullying of which she was a victim. But she did so one last time on February 21, 2023 at the end of morning classes, this after having been summoned to a fight by another from her classmates, where she went to try to put an end to these attacks that had been ignored by her teachers and the headmistress of the institution.[17][18]
Her murderer was identified as Azahara Aylin Martínez, who had been harassing her for a long time.[19] Once there, Ramos tried to reconcile the matter by talking to her attacker to avoid hitting her, but Martínez ignored her and began to hit her. During the fight, Martínez used an object, identified as a stone or a horseshoe, which she used several times to hit Ramos in the head and face.[20] The moment was recorded and witnessed by school students, who did not help and only made fun of Ramos. One person said "hit her with balls, hit her hard, hit her in the face," persuading her assailant to continue hitting her. Martínez joined in the mockery saying "blood is coming out".[21][22]
The fight stopped once a local police patrol arrived at the scene. Later, Ramos was helped by some of the area's inhabitants, who tried to heal her bruises and stop the bleeding she had in her nose.[23][24][25]
After the fight, Martínez and Ramos were suspended by the school director for a month, it was also determined that the medical expenses would be covered equally between the families of those involved.[17]
Death
editRamos was treated by specialists for more than ten days due to a fracture in her nose, but despite this, her health began to deteriorate. Ramos began to suffer headaches, fainting and vomiting, conditions that alerted her relatives on the night of March 12, when she continued vomiting. The next day, the girl worsened while being cared for by Alma, her older sister.[26] Ramos died that same day. Her cause of death was due to head trauma, caused by the blows she received. Her body was buried on March 15 in the municipal pantheon, close to her home located in the Nueva Evangelista neighborhood.[3][27]
Aftermath
editAs a result of her death, Ramos's relatives called for a mobilization demanding justice for the incident. On March 16, it was reported that the headmistress of the school was fired.[4][28]
Martínez and her mother, Magaly, deleted all their social media accounts after the case went viral and they were identified. Shortly after, both had fled the State of Mexico and were detained on the Mexico–United States border.[29][30] On March 18, the Prosecutor's Office of the State of Mexico announced that Martínez had been arrested in the municipality of Teotihuacán for her possible intervention in qualified homicide, where the victim had also been a minor. Martínez was confined in the Detention Center for Adolescents in the State of Mexico called "Quinta del Bosque".[31] This verdict was reached after a hearing in which 30 days of complementary investigation were granted, with April 17 agreed as the conclusion date.
Judgment
editImmediately after her arrest, Martínez was linked to the process as "alleged" responsible for the murder of Ramos, and was charged with the crime of qualified homicide.[32] On November 14, Martínez was sentenced to three years of confinement in the detention center for adolescents Quinta del Bosque.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Familiares y amigos celebran los 15 años de Norma Lizbeth, fallecida tras golpiza de compañera". La-Lista. April 26, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
- ^ a b "Norma Lizbeth sufrió bullying desde la primaria: Amigas cuentan los abusos hacia la adolescente" [Norma Lizbeth suffered bullying since elementary school: Friends tell of the abuse towards the teenager.]. Proceso (in Spanish). March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ a b Paola Montserrat (March 18, 2023). "SEP lamentó el fallecimiento de Norma Lizbeth, adolescente que murió tras sufrir bullying" [SEP regretted the death of Norma Lizbeth, a teenager who died after suffering bullying]. Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ a b "Fiscalía del Edomex detuvo a presunta agresora de Norma Lizbeth" [Edomex Prosecutor's Office arrested the alleged aggressor of Norma Lizbeth]. Infobae (in Spanish). 18 March 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ a b "Dan tres años de internamiento a Azahara por matar a golpes a Norma Lizbeth en Teotihuacán" [Azahara is imprisoned for three years for beating Norma Lizbeth to death in Teotihuacán]. Proceso (in Spanish). November 14, 2023.
- ^ "Tras muerte de Norma Lizbeth por bullying, AMLO pide 'fortalecer valores'" [After the death of Norma Lizbeth due to bullying, AMLO asks to 'strengthen values']. El Universal (in Spanish). March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ Escobar, Dalila (March 17, 2023). "AMLO llama a fortalecer valores familiares para enfrentar el bullying tras muerte de Norma Lizbeth" [AMLO calls to strengthen "family values" for confront bullying after the death of Norma Lizbeth]. Proceso (in Spanish). Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ Méndez, Ollinka (March 18, 2023). "Preocupa bullying escolar: ¿Dónde se puede denunciar el acoso entre alumnos?" [School bullying is worrying: Where can be report bullying between students?]. TV Azteca (in Spanish).
- ^ "Desde la primaria Norma Lizbeth sufría acoso por su color de piel" [Since elementary school, Norma Lizbeth suffered harassment because of her skin color]. quierotv.mx (in Spanish). March 17, 2023. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ Montenegro, José Luis (March 17, 2023). "Lo que sabemos de la muerte de Norma Lizbeth, víctima de "bullying" en México" [What we know about the death of Norma Lizbeth, a victim of bullying in Mexico]. yahoo!news (in Spanish). Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ^ "Exhiben a estudiante que mató a Norma Lizbeth en Edomex" [They expose the student who killed Norma Lizbeth in Edomex]. El Horizonte (in Spanish). March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ "Exigen que agresora de Norma sea juzgada por feminicidio" [They demand that Norma's attacker be tried for feminicide]. Vanguardia de Veracruz (in Spanish). March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ "Norma Lizbeth sufría bullying desde la primaria por su color de piel, relatan compañeras" [Norma Lizbeth suffered bullying since elementary school because of her skin color, her classmates say]. El Imparcial (in Spanish). March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ González, Blanca B. (March 17, 2023). "Norma Lizbeth cumpliría 15 años en un mes; sufría bullying por su color de piel dijo su mamá". Excelsior. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ Terreros, Brenda (March 17, 2023). "Caso Norma Lizbeth: directora de escuela donde tuvo pelea mortal fue destituida" [Norma Lizbeth Case: director of the school where she had a fatal fight was dismissed.]. Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ "En Edomex, muere menor de edad tras enfrentar a su bully" [In Edomex, a minor dies after confronting her bully]. canal7slp.tv (in Spanish). March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ a b Mendoza, Veneranda (March 17, 2023). "Destituyen a directora por bullying que provocó la muerte de Norma Lizbeth; Codhem inicia queja" [Director dismissed for bullying that caused the death of Norma Lizbeth; Codhem starts complaint]. Proceso (in Spanish). Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ "Norma Lizbeth, estudiante víctima de bullying, murió por golpe en la cabeza" [Norma Lizbeth, a student victim of bullying, died from a blow to the head]. Aristegui noticias. March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ "Exhiben a la estudiante acusada de provocar la muerte a Norma Lizbeth" [The student accused of causing the death of Norma Lizbeth is put on display]. El imparcial (in Spanish). March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ "Norma Lizbeth fue golpeada con una piedra o herradura durante la pelea, acusa compañera y en redes" [Norma Lizbeth was hit with a stone or horseshoe during the fight, accuses her partner and in networks]. El imparcial (in Spanish). March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ Rudo, Lorena (March 17, 2023). "Exigen justicia por Norma Lizbeth; murió tras pelea con compañera que le hacía bullying" [They demand justice for Norma Lizbeth; She died after a fight with a classmate who bullied her]. amqueretaro. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ Fernández, Emilio (March 17, 2023). ""La golpearon con piedras, la grabaron y se burlaron": Compañeras de Norma Lizbeth relatan cómo fue la pelea" ["They hit her with stones, they filmed her and they made fun of her": Norma Lizbeth's classmates tell what the fight was like]. El Universal (in Spanish). Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ Paola Montserrat (March 18, 2023). "SEP lamentó el fallecimiento de Norma Lizbeth, adolescente que murió tras sufrir bullying". Infobae. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ Martínez, Brenda (March 17, 2023). ""A ver mija": tras golpiza a Norma Lizbeth, así fue como vecinos la ayudaron" ["Let's see mija": after Norma Lizbeth was beaten, this is how neighbors helped her]. El Universal (in Spanish). Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ "VIDEO: Ensangrentada, así quedó la menor Norma Lizbeth luego de la brutal agresión en su contra" [VIDEO: Bloodied, this is how the minor Norma Lizbeth remained after the brutal attack against her]. El Tiempo (in Spanish). March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ "Caso Norma Lizbeth: esto sabemos de la joven que murió tras pelea afuera de escuela en Teotihuacán" [Norma Lizbeth Case: This we know about the young girl who died after a fight outside her school in Teotihuacán]. Milenio (in Spanish). March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ "'Toman' secundaria tras muerte de menor en Teotihuacan" ['They take' secondary school after the death of a minor in Teotihuacan]. La Jornada (in Spanish). March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ "Destituyen a directora de secundaria donde estudiaba Norma Lizbeth" [They dismiss the headmistress of the secondary school where Norma Lizbeth studied]. Aristegui (in Spanish). March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
- ^ "Aseguran que madre de agresora de Norma huyó con su hija tras ser identificadas" [They claim that the mother of Norma's attacker fled with her daughter after being identified]. Debate (in Spanish). March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ "Aseguran que adolescente agresora de Norma Lizbeth fue retenida en la frontera con EU" [They claim that the teenager who attacked Norma Lizbeth was detained on the border with the United States]. Proceso (in Spanish). March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ "Azahara "N" es ingresada a la Quinta del Bosque por el presunto homicidio de Norma Lizbeth" [Azahara "N" is admitted to "Quinta del Bosque" for the alleged murder of Norma Lizbeth]. El Universal (in Spanish). March 18, 2023.
- ^ "La menor que agredió a Norma Lizbeth es vinculada a proceso por homicidio" [The minor who attacked Norma Lizbeth is linked to a murder trial]. Expansion Politica (in Spanish). March 18, 2023.