Six Childcare Teachers Sentenced for Habitual Abuse of Children with Disabilities... Director Who Aided Them Sentenced to Prison

Childcare teachers who repeatedly abused children at a public daycare center in Incheon.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Six childcare teachers at a national and public daycare center in Incheon, who were charged with habitual abuse of children including those with disabilities, were sentenced to prison. Additionally, the director, who was on trial without detention for aiding and abetting the abuse, was detained in court.

Judge Lee Yeon-jin of the Incheon District Court Criminal Division 2 sentenced A (33, female), the lead teacher of the integrated care class for children with disabilities at the daycare center, who was detained and indicted for violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes, to four years in prison, and B (30, female), the head teacher, to three years in prison at the sentencing hearing held on the 6th.

The other four childcare teachers, who were indicted without detention on the same charges, were sentenced to prison terms ranging from one year to one year and six months.

The judge ordered all six childcare teachers to complete or attend 80 hours of child abuse treatment programs or lectures and restricted them from working in child-related institutions for 5 to 10 years.

The judge explained, "The defendants abused the victims, who were smaller in stature than themselves, with rough force," and "some concealed each other's crimes, and as a result of gradually taking the abuse lightly, abuse became widespread throughout the daycare center and continued until the police began an investigation."

He added, "The defendants, as childcare staff who are mandated reporters of child abuse, should have set an example, but they habitually committed or aided and abetted abuse, making severe punishment inevitable," explaining the sentencing rationale.

At the same sentencing hearing, C (46, female), the then director of the daycare center, who was indicted without detention for aiding and abetting the childcare teachers' abuse (violation of the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes), was sentenced to four years in prison, a heavier sentence than the prosecution's request, and was detained in court.

The judge stated, "C knew about the abuse but made no minimal effort to stop it, leading to large-scale crimes at the daycare center," and "Since all the childcare teachers were first-time offenders and the abuse occurred only at this daycare center, C bears the greatest responsibility."

While the childcare teachers generally admitted to the charges during the trial, only C denied the charges, claiming she was unaware of the abuse occurring at the daycare center.

Six childcare teachers, including A, were brought to trial on charges of habitual abuse of 11 children aged 1 to 6, including six children with disabilities, at the daycare center from October 30 to December of last year.

It was revealed that they committed over 200 instances of abuse, including both individual and joint offenses. A 5-year-old child with speech and developmental disabilities was abused 115 times by their lead teacher over two months.

According to police investigations, the childcare teachers hit the children’s thighs or forearms with fists or palms and grabbed their hair for reasons such as not taking naps or crying while the teachers were eating.

Daycare center CCTV footage showed childcare teachers pushing children into a blanket cabinet and closing the door, as well as swinging cushions in the air at children with disabilities.

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