A serious complaint shook social networks shortly after the carnival season in Barranquilla, as Viviana Cartagena, sister of the presenter Mabel Cartagena, revealed through a video that her two children, aged eight and five, were victims of abuse by an adult woman during a Barranquilla Carnival event, specifically in the traditional parade on 84, during the so-called Death of Joselito.
In his testimony, Viviana said that she decided to tell the experience as a “story time” to vent and make visible a situation that, according to her, should never have happened, and even less involving minors. in a space that is supposed to be familiar and cultural.
“I’m going to do a story time of the only event that my eight and five year old children went to, now in carnivals. And they were, literally, mistreated by one of those who was there as observers of the event,” he began by saying in his video.
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Viviana explained that from the beginning her children did not want to attend the event, but she insisted that they accompany her because it was a Barranquilla tradition. He even acknowledged that they arrived late to the parade because he had to take time to convince the little ones, and indicated that when they arrived the atmosphere was the usual one for the carnival: loud music, foam, cornstarch and gathering among the attendees.
“My children didn’t want to go. They said: ‘Mommy, we don’t want to go to any carnival’. But I said: ‘well, this is their culture. If you don’t teach them from a young age, obviously they’re not going to like it,'” she said.
According to what he said, the children were playing only with each other with foam and cornstarch, without disturbing third parties, especially since they were under a clear warning not to throw it at anyone else.
“They were chin, chin, kicking themselves out. With the breeze, it suddenly hit someone a little, which is normal at carnivals. What I wouldn’t allow is for someone to come and foam in your face, and that did not happen with my children,” he emphasized.
However, apparently, the items that the children were using to play had reached one of the people who were also in that space and, from that point on, the situation escalated because the woman, without any prior communication, began to yell at one of the children.
Viviana assured that the tone was so aggressive that it could be heard even in the midst of the noise of the parade: “When I hear the screams of the lady and I see my son, I almost died. Seeing that a literal stranger was mistreating him. She shouted at him: ‘Look, pelaíto!’, like a crazy woman”, he stated.
Although she did not witness everything, her mother-in-law confirmed that the woman had taken the child and squeezed him to remove him from the place.
“Then they tell me that the lady grabbed my son and shook him. I didn’t see that, thank God, because I don’t know what would have happened.“, confessed Mabel Cartagena’s sister.
Viviana reported that, when she complained firmly and without shouting, the woman tried to hit her. In addition, he confessed that the episode left a deep mark on his son, which reminded him that he did not want to attend the carnival.
“When I turned around, the old woman told me to throw her fist at me. I had never experienced something like that in my life!… “My son was extremely upset and told me: ‘Mommy, did you see? That’s why I didn’t want to come.’ Imagine how I could have felt, because he didn’t want to go and I’m taking him, because this is a tradition in Barranquilla, he’s from here and listen to me, how can I not show him the Barranquilla carnival?” she expressed, visibly affected.
Finally, Mabel Cartagena’s sister questioned that a person who, according to a family member, “was sick,” was taken to a massive event.
“Can you imagine where the lady would have hit me? Look, that would have caused a fuss, not because of me, but because of all the people around, that is, there was a lady who told me: ‘I pushed her when I saw that, because I couldn’t believe what was happening.’ Then my son comes up to me and says: ‘No, look, what a pity, the lady is sick.’ Okay, valid, but If she is sick, how are you going to take her to a place where she will be exposed to cornstarch, music, drunk people, foam and all the mess you can imagine? If you are sick and you do not tolerate that type of environment, mom, stay home, but you never mess with a minor, because that is unacceptable,” Cartagena concluded.
The story generated a wave of reactions on social networks, where many users expressed indignation and asked for greater control and protection protocols for children at public events of the Barranquilla Carnival.
