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Middle school K-pop fan's bullying case in Mexico sparks online movement

Published: 18 Feb. 2025, 15:47

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

An image uploaded on Hallyu fan club accounts on X, formerly Twitter, with the hashtag #JusticeForFatima regarding a case where a middle school student in Mexico City was bullied by her classmates for liking K-pop [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A middle school student in Mexico who was reportedly bullied and harassed by her classmates because she liked K-pop has made headlines and sparked a social movement online.

According to multiple sources including the Mexico City prosecutors’ office on Monday, the 13-year-old student reportedly jumped from the third floor of a middle school building in Mexico City on Feb. 4 due to bullying and peer pressure from her classmates.

The student, named Fatima, is currently receiving treatment at a nearby hospital after sustaining injuries from the fall.

Education and investigative authorities in Mexico City have begun a probe into the exact circumstances, and local Hallyu fan clubs are calling for severe punishment for the girl's bullies.

Fatima’s parents told local media that the main reason for the bullying their daughter endure was because she liked listening to K-pop and enjoyed Korean culture. Fatima’s friends also gave similar eyewitness accounts of bullying to the local prosecution and others, according to the reports.

The Mexico City prosecutors’ office issued a press release on Monday saying that Fatima’s father had filed a complaint of suspected school violence and that an investigation had been launched.

The Mexico City Department of Education confirmed that the school had held peer violence prevention workshops for all the parties involved several times since Feb. 6.

The total number of students at Fatima’s school is estimated to be around 340.

Fatima's case has sparked public outrage on social media, with Hallyu fan clubs creating and spreading posts with the hashtag #JusticeForFatima, demanding severe punishment for the perpetrators of the incident.

The Korean Embassy in Mexico also expressed solidarity with the movement against school violence triggered by the incident through social media, uploading a post declaring solidarity with the movement on its official X account.

If you or someone you know is feeling emotionally distressed or struggling with thoughts of suicide, LifeLine Korea can be contacted at 1588-9191 or the Crisis Counseling Center at 1577-0199. The Seoul Global Center offers English-language counseling, contact 02-2075-4180 (+1) to arrange a session. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]