00:00And following an attempted femicide at the Montevideo School of Medicine, Uruguayan
00:05university students are demanding educational spaces free from gender-based violence.
00:10Our correspondent Mateo Grille has the details.
00:15An attempted femicide has shaken the university community in Uruguay and sparked a debate
00:21that has spread beyond the classroom.
00:24Last week, a 19-year-old student was stabbed by a classmate at the Montevideo School of
00:29Medicine.
00:32Students responded immediately with strikes and occupations of study centers, demanding
00:36educational spaces free from gender-based violence.
00:44We are occupying to make it clear that this is not an isolated incident, but rather the
00:52result of a system that perpetuates and validates this type of action.
00:5912 educational centers are currently occupied by students or on strike.
01:04The university has suspended classes to allow time for reflection, care and reorganization
01:10of university life.
01:12In this context, various workshops have been held on the street to raise awareness about
01:17this issue.
01:22The proposal was to pause activities on Wednesday to allow time for reflection and mourning and
01:27to come together to discuss what happened.
01:31This escalation of violence is significant and it's important to respect the families and
01:36the affected classmates who were there at that moment.
01:42Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi reflected on the event and said that violence is the underlying
01:48problem.
01:52The underlying issue here is violence.
01:55Mental health is one aspect of it, but the central issue is how we are educated or formed
02:00with patterns of violence.
02:05Gender-based violence is a persistent problem in Uruguay.
02:10In the first half of 2026 alone, more than 21,400 cases of domestic violence were reported,
02:17one every 12 minutes.
02:19Additionally, 1,400 reports of sexual offenses were filed.
02:23In response to the attempted femicide at the School of Medicine, the university community
02:28came together to create a supportive, empowering space in the face of institutional silence and
02:34structural violence.
