Sexual violence among pupils is a growing concern in Peru, and a navy-run Lima school is now at its centre. A court has detained six pupils, and the government has taken the school away from the navy.
A Lima family court ordered four months of preventive detention for six pupils of the Liceo Naval Almirante Guise, Andina reported. The final-year students are accused of sexually assaulting a fellow student on 15 September 2026. Why This Matters
The Liceo Naval Almirante Guise is a navy-run secondary school in San Borja, a Lima district. The Education Ministry reported 1,198 cases of sexual violence among pupils from January to August 2026, Gestión said.
Gestión said that figure was 35% higher than in 2025 and 21% higher than in 2024. The cases range from unwanted touching and harassment to rape, according to the same report.
SíseVe is the Education Ministry’s platform for reporting violence against school pupils. It logged more than 11,000 reports of physical, psychological and sexual violence from January to August, Infobae reported.
President Keiko Fujimori, in office since July, promised the school would be reorganised and handed to the Education Ministry. She said the ministry would restore “order and discipline”, Gestión reported. What Happened on the School Bus
The alleged assault happened on 15 September on a bus taking the school futsal team from Surco to San Borja. The victim is a 16-year-old fellow pupil, and the accused are in their fifth and final year of secondary school.
Jorge Petrozzi, the victim’s family lawyer, told RPP radio that two teachers and a driver were on the bus. He said the attack followed earlier bullying that was known inside the school, Infobae reported.
Petrozzi said neither the school nor any authority had yet acted to identify and report those adults. The family will identify them and file complaints itself, he added.
On 21 September, the TV programme Panorama aired footage of pupils under investigation laughing in a restaurant. Infobae said eight students appear in the images, recorded in San Borja about an hour after the alleged attack.
In its first statement on 16 September, the school described the incident as an alleged physical assault, Gestión reported. The navy later closed comments on its social media accounts, according to the same report. What the Court and the Government Decided
The Seventh Family Prosecutor’s Office of central Lima, under prosecutor Mariano de la Torre Hernández, requested the measure. Andina said it cited statements from the minors, police officers and the complainant’s parents, plus a forensic examination.
Judge Roxana Palacios Yactayo of the Third Family Court granted the request for six pupils, Infobae reported. Infobae said ten pupils were initially held, and the other four will face the process at liberty.
Petrozzi said those four would not have taken part in the assault, directly or indirectly, according to Infobae. He also said he and Women’s Ministry staff were barred from the detention hearing.
The six were taken to Maranguita, Lima’s juvenile diagnosis and rehabilitation centre in the San Miguel district. Four months is the maximum period the law allows for this measure, Infobae reported.
The navy removed the school’s director, a teacher and the football coach pending the investigation, Infobae reported. Supreme Decree 016-2026-Minedu, published on 18 September, gives the Education Ministry control until 31 December 2027, El Comercio reported.
A temporary director will be appointed, while the Defence Ministry helps keep classes running, El Comercio said. The ministers of Education and Defence signed the decree, which requires no extra public funds. How Peru’s Juvenile Justice Works
Suspects under 18 are tried under Peru’s Code of Adolescent Criminal Responsibility, not in adult criminal courts. Javier López Romaní, a law academic at the University of Piura, told Infobae that preventive detention under it is exceptional.
To obtain it, the prosecutor had to show well-founded and serious evidence against those investigated, Infobae explained. The heaviest measure for serious sexual offences is six years of internment in a juvenile centre, Infobae reported.
Lawyer María Elena Portocarrero noted that any final measure need not be the same for every pupil. In May 2025, Law 32330 allowed 16- and 17-year-olds to be tried as adults for crimes including rape and murder.
Peru’s Constitutional Court struck it down on 5 December 2025, ruling that 18 is the minimum age for ordinary criminal liability. Fujimori called for “the full weight of the law”, while accepting that juvenile justice rules still apply, Gestión reported. Protecting the Minors
Pronacej, the state juvenile justice programme, said preventive detention is not a declaration of responsibility. Pupils who turn 18 will not move automatically to an adult prison, director Luis Vega said, La República reported.
Inside Maranguita, the pupils receive medical checks, psychological support, schooling and social services, the newspaper said. Family visits are arranged through social workers, and lawyers may speak with the detainees.
The Women’s Ministry condemned the disclosure of the victim’s name on live television, La República reported. Prosecutors then opened an investigation into television host Milagros Leiva for revealing the minor’s identity, Infobae reported.
Leiva apologised on air, and her channel, Panamericana Televisión, also issued an apology. The ministry said Law 30364 on violence and the Children and Adolescents Code require media to protect a child victim’s identity.
Another family court ordered psychological therapy for the accused and barred contact through WhatsApp and Facebook, Andina reported. It also ordered weekly police patrols at the victim’s home, according to Andina. Protests and the Minister’s Proposals
Dozens of parents and school-age youths marched through San Borja on 20 September to demand justice for the victim, Andina reported. Some public figures, among them former pupil Marina Gold, said they had suffered bullying at the school, Infobae reported.
Education Minister José Antonio Chang said the school had logged 80 complaints of violence, harassment and improper touching in two years. “This lacks follow-up,” he said of how such complaints are handled, Infobae reported.
Chang proposed a new Office for the Protection of the Educational Community to track violence cases in schools. It would review expulsions within 48 hours, and Chang said schools should regain the power to expel pupils for grave offences.
The proposal has not yet been formalised, according to Infobae. Chang also proposed a one-year training school for public school directors. What It Means If You Have Children in Peruvian Schools
For parents, the case shows that complaint channels exist but that follow-up can fail, as the minister himself admitted. SíseVe takes reports through the Education Ministry’s website, a WhatsApp line and the free hotline 0800-76-888.
Families at the Liceo Naval should expect a temporary director and tighter rules on safety and violence prevention. Expat families choosing a Lima school may ask how it records complaints and whether it reports them to SíseVe.
For readers abroad, the case is an early test of child protection under Fujimori, who won June’s runoff by 49,641 votes. It also shows how quickly a school scandal in Peru can move from social media to a presidential decree. What Is Not Yet Known
It is not known whether prosecutors will bring formal charges against all six pupils. Nor has the Education Ministry named the temporary director who will run the school.
The two teachers and the driver on the bus have not been publicly identified, according to the family’s lawyer. It is also unclear whether the navy will review how the school handled the 80 earlier complaints. Frequently Asked Questions Why does the Liceo Naval case matter?
It exposes a sharp rise in reported sexual violence among Peruvian pupils. It also led the government to strip the navy of control over its own school. What is preventive detention for minors in Peru?
It is a precautionary measure under Peru’s juvenile criminal code while prosecutors investigate. It is not a finding of guilt. Can the pupils be tried as adults?
No. Peru’s Constitutional Court ruled in December 2025 that 18 is the minimum age for ordinary criminal liability. Who runs the Liceo Naval now?
Peru’s Education Ministry, under a supreme decree published on 18 September. Its control runs until 31 December 2027.