Fátima’s Story: Bullying Over K-Pop In México

Fanbases Unidas por Fatima

We are living in a social media world, and while we might say that no one should ever be harassed or bullied just because they like certain things, not everyone agrees with this.

In a secondary school in Mexico, Fátima Zavala, a thirteen-year-old girl, was bullied for being a K-Pop fan. Her story inspired K-Pop fandoms to unite and demand justice for the child, who remains hospitalized.

As word spread across social networks, K-Pop fans will now be part of a march on March 8th to demand justice for Fátima.

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Fátima is a thirteen-year-old child who lives in Iztapalapa, Mexico City. Her father, Juan Zavala, recalls his daughter as a vivacious girl, a good student with high grades, who enjoyed K-Pop and had great trust in her parents.

The girl, a second-grade student, approached her parents and told them she was being harassed by her classmates because of her drawing skills and her love for K-Pop. Fátima’s father told the media that the girl even wanted to drop out of school as the bullying became unbearable. He also pointed out that they had gone to the school to talk with the teachers about the issue. He showed K-Pop memorabilia that Fátima kept in a binder, reflecting her admiration for BTS.

In December 2024, as the harassment continued, the Escuela Secundaria 236 principal requested that the girl be attended to at the Adolescent Clinic at the Hospital Materno Infantil, where she was diagnosed with moderate depression. It was confirmed that she was being harassed.

On February 4th, 2025, Fátima’s parents received a call from the school: Fátima had been pushed down the stairs from the third floor on the school premises and was being transferred to a public hospital for treatment. The diagnosis was a broken hip and pelvis.

Almost two weeks after the incident, Fátima’s family spread the news, seeking answers and help from the Secretary of Public Education (SEP). The first response came from the Embassy of Korea in Mexico. The Embassy released a statement condemning the act of violence and emphasizing that K-Pop promotes peace and inclusivity. They offered support for Fátima and her family.

Quickly, K-Pop fans from Mexico gathered through social media to discuss the issue, spread awareness about bullying, and emphasize that K-Pop is not a reason to attack people.

K-Pop fan bases made the hashtag #JusticiaParaFátima (Justice For Fátima) a trending topic, drawing the attention of national media and the international K-Pop community. They aimed to prevent more cases of bullying and harassment, send gifts and support to Fátima and her family, and, above all, demand a statement from the Secretary of Public Education.

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed the issue in her morning conference. She stated that Fátima’s case was under investigation, that anti-bullying protocols would be executed in favor of the minor, and that investigations would be carried out to prevent such incidents in schools.

Almost three weeks after the attack, the Secretary of Public Education, alongside the Fiscalía General de Justicia de CDMX (General Attorney of CDMX), declared that there was no solid evidence that Fátima was pushed or harassed at school. However, her parents asserted that the statement did not consider the evidence they presented, which showed social media bullying and the diagnosis made at the Adolescent Clinic.

 

K-Pop fans will raise lightsticks against bullying at 8M

As International Women’s Day approaches, fan bases in Mexico and Fátima’s relatives have organized a group to march on March 8th in CDMX as part of the protests for women’s rights. The fans request a peaceful participation, to give greater emphasis to the situation of violence that Fátima was experiencing 

Fans plan to bring their lightsticks to show support for Fátima and demonstrate that the K-Pop fandom in Mexico is united against violence. The fandom in the country is mainly composed of females, some as young as ten years old who have found K-Pop and Hallyu from a different point of view and have been able to find new friends but also a contrasting culture.

Additionally, various media outlets have reached out to fan bases to learn more about Hallyu and K-Pop culture in Mexico, especially as Korean content continues thriving in the country, with more than ten K-Pop concerts expected this year.

While Fatima remains in the hospital, the cry for justice continues and the reflection on respect and freedom of being continues to be the central theme in Fatima’s case.

What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.

 

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