SOCIAL REPRESENTATION OF PHYSICAL VIOLENCE AGAINST TEACHERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND STRICT STATE LIABILITY

Abstract

This article analyzes physical and psychological violence against public school teachers located in a city in the metropolitan area surrounding the capital of the state of Goiás, understanding it as a phenomenon of socio-symbolic, institutional, and legal nature, in light of the Theory of Social Representations. It is based on the premise that aggressions directed at teachers transcend the individual sphere, constituting a public issue capable of compromising professionals’ mental health, the school organizational climate, and the continuity in the teaching profession. The study examines how social representations contribute to the production and reproduction of meanings that naturalize practices of disrespect, fostering symbolic violence and consequently weakening pedagogical authority. From a legal perspective, the analysis is grounded in Article 37, §6 of the Brazilian Federal Constitution, which establishes the State’s strict liability for damages caused to its agents, as well as in relevant criminal classifications, such as bodily injury, threat, and contempt. Methodologically, a qualitative approach was adopted, using the free word association technique, operationalized through prototypical analysis with the EVOC software, which enabled the identification of a central core composed of the terms sadness, disrespect, revolt, anger, and fear, as well as peripheral elements structured around expressions such as indignation, humiliation, and anxiety. The results reveal significant teacher distress associated with a perception of institutional abandonment, exposing weaknesses in mechanisms for preventing and addressing violence within the school environment. It is concluded that mitigating this phenomenon requires the implementation of integrated public policies aimed at promoting a culture of peace, providing psychosocial support to education professionals, and ensuring the effective valorization of the teaching profession, in accordance with prevailing constitutional principles.