More than a thousand schools in Peru have faced threats from criminal gangs : NPR
- Schools in Peru are increasingly becoming targets for criminal gangs demanding extortion payments.
- An administrator at a Catholic elementary school on the outskirts of Lima, who requested anonymity, said gangsters demanded approximately $28,000.
- The rise in private schools, often located in impoverished areas controlled by criminals, has made them easy targets.Miriam Ramirez, president of a parent-teacher association in Lima, estimates that...
Peru Schools Face Extortion, Violence from Gangs
Schools in Peru are increasingly becoming targets for criminal gangs demanding extortion payments. The threats, which include bombings and violence against teachers, are disrupting education and forcing some institutions to close.
An administrator at a Catholic elementary school on the outskirts of Lima, who requested anonymity, said gangsters demanded approximately $28,000. The administrator said the gang sent threatening messages, including photos of grenades and pistols, and that police arrested a teenager planting a bomb at the school’s entrance weeks earlier.
The rise in private schools, often located in impoverished areas controlled by criminals, has made them easy targets.Miriam Ramirez, president of a parent-teacher association in Lima, estimates that at least 1,000 schools are being blackmailed.
To protect students, some schools have shifted to online classes, but at least five have been forced to shut down entirely. “if this keeps up,” Ramirez said, ”the country is going to end up in total ignorance.”
The surge in extortion is part of a broader crime wave that gained momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic. The influx of Venezuelan migrants, including members of the tren de aragua criminal group, has also contributed to the problem.
Francisco Rivadeneyra,a former police commander,alleges that corrupt police officers are exacerbating the situation by tipping off gangs about planned raids in exchange for bribes.
Political instability,marked by six presidents in the last nine years due to corruption scandals,has further weakened the government’s ability to address the issue. Despite President Dina Boluarte’s deployment of the army in March to combat crime, extortion continues to plague the poorest areas of Lima.
Even soup kitchens are not spared. Genoveva Huatarongo, who helps run a soup kitchen in villa Maria, said that after thugs stabbed one of her workers and demanded weekly payments, nearby soup kitchens now pay gangs about $14 per week to avoid attacks.
Some schools are fighting back.After a bombing at the San Vicente school in northern Lima, administrators hired private security guards. Violeta Upangi, a parent, said students were told to attend class in street clothes to avoid being identified as students of San Vicente.
Despite these efforts, many schools have succumbed to the demands of criminal groups. The administrator at the Catholic elementary school said that after reporting the threats to the police, authorities advised them to pay the extortion money for their own safety. The school ultimately paid the equivalent of $14,000.
What’s next
The Peruvian government faces mounting pressure to address the escalating extortion crisis affecting its schools. Increased violence and the disruption of education demand immediate action. Law enforcement, community leaders, and educators must collaborate to find solutions that ensure the safety and well-being of students and teachers, while also tackling the underlying issues of crime and corruption that fuel these threats.