3-year-old girl allegedly abused in Singapore preschool

A little girl was allegedly abused in a Singapore preschool recently. It left her with a swollen and bruised ear. According to her mum, girl continues to be traumatised by the incident and has nightmares about it.

The heart-broken mum took to Facebook recently (10 March) to share about the case. She has also reported the matter to police and the ECDA.

Girl abused in Singapore preschool?

Mummy Claudia Kwan shared about the incident on Facebook, “On 14th Feb 2018, I sent my 3-year-old daughter to school in the morning. Early in the morning, I got her dressed and tied up her hair, before sending her to school while she was perfectly normal and happy.”

“However, when my husband picked my daughter up from her preschool, on the way home, he sensed that something was not right with my girl’s mood, so he parked his car and turn around; only to see that something very unusual and totally unexpected had happened to her ear.”

“Her messy hair covered part of the ear and she was sweaty after a whole day in school but what he saw was a horrific bruise on the top of her ear.”

“When they reached home, my hubby asked me to check what had happened to her ear and to my horror, her ear was badly bruised to such an extent that it was swelling badly. My heart bled and when I asked my daughter about what had happened, she lost control and just broke down into tears and cried.”

The mummy then called up the school to enquire about what had actually happened, but failed to get a satisfactory response. She then took the child to a paediatrician.

“The PD, upon seeing my girl’s ear, was shocked too. He diagnosed it as a form of traumatic bruising that was caused by the exertion of great intentional force, and not a result of insect bites or drug allergies.”

PHOTO: FACEBOOK / CLAUDIA KWAN

Mummy Claudia was shocked upon hearing the diagnosis, and proceeded to lodge a police report after informing the preschool’s prinicpal.

Preschool evades questions

The little girl has also revealed to the police about the teacher who pinched and twisted her ear.

“The police requested that I returned to the station last week to give a detailed report after my daughter has calmed down a little and would be able to recount the incident better. She then told the police officer the exact teacher who pinched and twisted her ear.”

Claudia also took her daughter to KK Hospital for a re-diagnosis. They confirmed that it was a, ““non-accidental injury” that was suspected to be inflicted by a teacher.”

The preschool meanwhile, continues to evade her questions and has refused to accept any responsibility for the incident.

It has been almost 4 weeks now, and Claudia is distressed that nothing has been done about it. The poor little girl is still traumatised, and continues to have nightmares.

“Ever since this incident, every night, my girl would wake up suddenly from her nightmares, crying out, “I’m scared, I’m sorry, please, stop, pain!” She has been shouting out her form teacher’s name too.”

“This has been going on every night for the past few weeks, and it pains me deeply to see my daughter in such trauma. She is tormented day after day by the incident and her behaviour has even undergone drastic changes.”

“She is now very temperamental and bursts into rage or tears at times, sometimes even out of the blue for no apparent reason.”

The matter has apparently been reported to the ECDA and an MP as well.

“ECDA has commented that as this is a police case, they could only determine their next course of action pending the outcome of the police’s investigation.”

“The police has reverted that they can’t reveal any CCTV footage to me. Neither did they do anything to reassure me that the investigation is progressing well, leaving me in the dark and constant fear day after day.”

No action yet…

We can only imagine what this mummy is going through…especially since she is facing financial difficulties as well.

Claudia reveals, “My husband is still recovering from a stroke that he suffered in last December, so our family of five are facing financial difficulties. Yet I still have to seek help from a psychiatrist and a counsellor for my daughter.”

“They have told me that my daughter is indeed traumatised badly. As a mother, seeing my daughter suffer day by day renders my heart to shreds and it puts a heavy strain on me emotionally and physically.”

“The psychiatrist even told me that I am experiencing acute stress reactions from my constant worry and fear over my daughter’s well-being.”

The child has since then stopped going to the preschool. According to Claudia, “The preschool is still allowing the suspected teacher to continue teaching while risking the safety of many other young children under her care.”

She hasn’t revealed the name of the preschool (possibly because of the police case), but has hinted that it is a church school in Ang Mo Kio.

Mummy asks for advice on the matter

Claudia remains frustrated and depressed, “It has been more than 3 weeks and my daughter’s ear still has not healed completely.”

“I’m slipping into depression now. I tried to be strong and cope with my hubby’s acute stroke since end of last year. However, seeing my daughter suffer everyday has taken a serious toll on me.”

“Back home, when I was reading story books to her, she would suddenly say that her teacher is “the evil wolf” in the story of the Three Little Pigs and that she was the “wicked queen” in Snow White or that her soft toys would help to protect her from her evil teacher.”

“Even when she heard minor renovation noise from my neighbour’s flat, she would say that it was the sound of her teacher coming to pull her ear once again and she would break into tears!”

She has asked netizens for advice on the matter, “I seriously can’t take it anymore and I’m at my wit’s end. I’m very desperate to seek advice on what I can do for my daughter, hence I am resorting to this platform for advice so that I can have a closure on this.”

“Everyone of us is a parent here, surely you will be able to empathise with me and understand the pain I’m going through now.”

“I want to take seek justice against the teacher for causing and inflicting such harm to my young girl, yet the irresponsible school management appears indifferent and simply shows no compassion with regards to this matter.”

“What can I do? Could someone please advise me?”

theAsianparent reached out to ECDA on the issue, and here is the response from ECDA and SPF:

“The Police confirms that a report was lodged on 14 February 2018.  Investigations are ongoing and the investigation officer has updated Ms Claudia Kwan on the status.

The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) is aware of the case.  ECDA has reached out to Ms Kwan to provide any assistance that she and her child may require. At the same time, ECDA is working with the centre to ensure the safety and well-being of the children at the centre.”

We hope mummy Claudia and her little girl get the justice they deserve.

Here is Claudia’s full post on Facebook:

Helplines to report suspected child abuse in Singapore

Children need a safe environment to grow and learn. Child abuse hinders the physical and emotional well being of a child. Reporting child abuse is the first step in stopping it.

Here are some useful helplines to report child abuse:

Police – 999

Child Protective Service Helpline: 1800-777 0000

Child Protection Specialist Centres
HEART@Fei Yue
Phone: 6819 9170
Email: [email protected]
Monday – Friday 9.30am – 5.30pm

Big Love Child Protection Specialist Centre 
Phone: 6445 0400
Email: [email protected]
Monday – Friday 9.00am – 6.00pm

SAFE SPACE
Phone: 6266 0171
Email: [email protected]
Monday – Friday 9.00am – 1.00pm; 2.00pm – 6.00pm

AWARE Helpline – 1800 774 5935 (Mon–Fri, 3 pm– 9.30 pm)

Tinkle Friend: For primary school students, especially children who are alone at home, who need someone to chat with or discuss problems with – 1800-2744 788 

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