Infant Neglect and Abuse Over Extended Periods... Child Abuse Controversy at Daejeon Daycare Center

Currently 3 Infants Affected
All Children Withdrawn Amid Child Abuse Controversy
Daycare Center Ultimately Reports Closure

At a daycare center in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, a report of child abuse was received, prompting the police to launch an investigation.

On the 1st, Yonhap News reported, "The Daejeon Police Agency has booked and is investigating a teacher at a daycare center in Yuseong-gu on charges of abusing and neglecting infants and toddlers (violation of the Child Welfare Act)." The teacher at this daycare center is suspected of leaving two- to three-year-old infants unattended for hours on multiple occasions and throwing them onto the floor and blankets. It is known that a parent who reviewed the daycare center's closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage on May 13 reported the abuse and neglect scenes to the police and Yuseong-gu Office.

[Image source=JTBC news screen]

The CCTV footage released by JTBC shows a teacher forcibly pushing a food tray into a child's mouth. Also, when a child who did not want to take a nap smiled and reached out to the teacher sitting at a desk, the teacher pushed the child's body away, rejecting the child's arm. So far, three children have been identified as victims. However, the police are investigating additional victims based on the CCTV and other evidence.

According to the on-site investigation by Yuseong-gu Office, this facility is a home-type daycare center mainly caring for infants and toddlers aged 1 to 3 years. At the time the abuse report was received, there were 13 children enrolled and 7 staff members, including a cook, working there. All 13 children had left the daycare center before May, when the child abuse allegations surfaced, and the daycare center reportedly filed for closure with Yuseong-gu Office at the end of last month. However, the daycare center director reportedly stated during the on-site investigation by the district office that they were completely unaware of the teachers' violations of the Child Welfare Act.

Netizens who learned of the news expressed various reactions, such as "There is no devil like this," "If they dislike children, they should do another job," "I am worried that the children might suffer trauma," and "They should be punished for acting like this toward children who are still poor at communication."