"Complained about being rumored as an overbearing and inconsiderate mom"
[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] A parent who hid a voice recorder in their child's clothes before sending them to daycare and then reported signs of abuse to the police posted on the Blue House National Petition Board. The parent claimed that the daycare center demanded the deletion of the recording and appealed for strict punishment.
On the 20th, a petition titled "Emotional Abuse at a Daycare in Michuhol-gu" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board. As of 4 p.m. that day, the petition had received over 560 endorsements.
The petitioner, who identified themselves as the parent of a 6-year-old child attending the daycare, stated, "My child said, 'The teacher told me not to talk about what happened at daycare when I get home.' Suspicious, I placed a voice recorder in my child's clothes before sending them to daycare," and added, "After observing for several days, I found that the teacher raised their voice and shouted at the children every day."
They continued, "The teacher called my child's name and said, 'Don't tell your mom. What difference would it make if you do? Everyone listen carefully. Don't talk about what happened here when you get home. That way, the teacher will resolve it quickly,'" expressing their distress.
The petitioner explained the situation, saying, "Later, I spoke with the teacher and the director. Especially when I confronted the teacher, they said, 'That never happened.' Thinking this was unacceptable, I took out the voice recorder," and added, "The teacher was momentarily speechless, then admitted that they lost control of their emotions that day due to excitement. They even said they would submit a resignation letter."
They went on, "However, after an internal meeting at the daycare, the director said they would neither disclose the recording nor dismiss the teacher," and lamented, "They told us they would refund the admission fee and asked us to leave."
The petitioner expressed frustration, saying, "They said there was no teacher to take care of our children and told us to leave. The teachers are being cautious," and added, "Later, when I went to collect our belongings from the daycare, the director asked me to delete the recording. They also spread rumors calling me a 'pushy mom' and are portraying us as unreasonable parents."
They continued, "My child has been deeply hurt both outwardly and inwardly. After coming home from daycare, the child relaxes and wets their pants, eats food with their fingers instead of chopsticks due to being rushed to eat quickly, and only sleeps for two hours," revealing their distress. "Psychological therapy results indicated that the child experienced vigilance and tension, which likely made everyday adaptation and stable coping difficult."
Meanwhile, the police recently booked childcare teacher A without detention on charges of violating the Child Welfare Act and are investigating. A is suspected of emotionally abusing a child at a daycare in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, where they worked last year.
The police are investigating the exact circumstances based on daycare closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and other evidence.
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