'Beating a Toddler and Dragging Them with a Blanket' Another Child Abuse Case at Daycare...Parents Outraged

Increase in Child Abuse and Assault Cases in Daycare Centers and Kindergartens
"Worse than Beasts" Parents Outraged at Perpetrating Teachers

Photo by SBS Broadcast Screen Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] A daycare teacher who violently hit the backs and buttocks of infants just a few months old is causing controversy. The teacher reportedly patted the babies' backs so hard that their entire bodies shook, but explained that it was "because the children were not sleeping, so I patted their backs." Some children suffered injuries such as bruises on their backs.

In the past, childcare teachers have caused public outrage by abusing children, such as pushing spoons into their mouths or poking them with needles because they ate late. Although cases of child abuse in daycare centers have been increasing every year, responses remain insufficient. Experts point out that the low professional awareness of some childcare teachers is the problem.

The Suwon Jungbu Police Station in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 9th that they had booked two daycare teachers in their 40s and three others, including the director who neglected the situation, on charges of violating the Child Abuse Punishment Act and sent them to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment.

These individuals, who were in charge of the 0-year-old class at a daycare center in Suwon City, were investigated for abusing children by hitting the backs or buttocks of children lying face down hard or pressing the back of a child's head toward the floor when the child tried to get up.

The abuse was discovered last October when a parent noticed bruises on a baby's back and checked the daycare's closed-circuit television (CCTV). The CCTV footage showed teachers hitting the children's backs so hard that their heads shook, wrapping the children tightly in blankets, and dragging them outside.

They explained, "We patted their backs because the children were not sleeping," but reportedly admitted to the charges when the police confronted them with the CCTV footage.

Photo by Asia Economy DB

This is not the first case of child abuse in daycare centers. In May last year, a daycare teacher in Busan pushed a spoon into a child's mouth because the child ate late. The teacher also poked the child's mouth with a finger for not swallowing food quickly and forcibly brought a water bottle to the child's mouth to make them drink water. The teacher was sentenced to six months in prison with a two-year probation in the first trial.

Reports of suspected child abuse in daycare centers have been steadily increasing. According to data on 'Child Abuse and Assault Cases by Kindergarten and Daycare Staff in the Last Five Years' submitted by Park Chandae, a member of the Democratic Party, from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 2018, there were 818 child abuse incidents in kindergartens from 2014 to 2017 and 2,356 incidents in daycare centers from 2013 to 2017.

By year, kindergartens showed an increasing trend with ▲99 cases in 2014 ▲203 in 2015 ▲240 in 2016 ▲276 (provisional) in 2017, and daycare centers also sharply increased with ▲232 cases in 2013 ▲295 in 2014 ▲427 in 2015 ▲587 in 2016 ▲815 (provisional) in 2017.

The problem is that childcare teachers charged with violating the Child Abuse Punishment Act mostly receive suspended sentences unless the child dies.

Last year, Jeon Mo (49), a childcare teacher who pushed a daycare child and left them in a dark room, was sentenced to one year in prison with a two-year probation. Jeon worked at a daycare center in Dobong-gu, Seoul, and pushed the back of a 1-year-old child's head, causing it to hit the dining table.

In 2018, a daycare teacher A (65) was sentenced to one year in prison with a two-year probation for poking a 4-year-old child with a needle and assaulting the child in a place without CCTV because the child "did not listen."

As a result, parents are suffering from anxiety that their own children might also be abused at daycare centers.

A member of a mom cafe said, "There have been many articles about daycare abuse lately, so I am worried. A daycare teacher in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, hit children, and there are reportedly four children who were hit. I watched the video, and the teacher hit the children so hard that their heads shook, and when a child raised their head, the teacher pressed it down with their hand." She added, "It's not just one child. How can such things happen in this world?" expressing outrage.

Another mom cafe member said, "My heart was pounding the whole time I read the article. It tore apart the hearts of parents. If children are exposed to abuse for a long time, their trauma will be severe. They shamelessly do things worse than beasts while wearing a mask. The children are pitiful."

Experts point out that the low professional awareness as childcare teachers is the problem. Psychiatrist Oh Eun-young said on YTN Radio last year, "Most teachers who want to work in childcare facilities start this job because they care about children," adding, "It is necessary to find professional pride as kindergarten or daycare teachers and the meaning of why they should do this work. The problem is mass-producing childcare teachers without such awareness."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.