A 2-year-old girl was apparently left “screaming and crying for help” at IKEA Tampines playground, after getting pinned down by a 3-year-old boy.
The incident, which happened in the Småland play area on 7 Feb 2019, was revealed by the child’s aunt, Chanel. IKEA is now investigating it.
“The boy was on her back. My niece had her whole body and head buried, I couldn’t see her at all. She was screaming and crying for help”, Chanel tells Stomp.
2-Year-Old Girl hurt by boy at IKEA Tampines playground
According to Chanel, the incident happened at around 3:45 pm and she was standing outside the play area with the child’s parents. The toddler’s ordeal apparently started 5 minutes after she entered the ball pit.
“At first, I saw that she was standing up. Suddenly, the boy was on her back. My niece had her whole body and head buried, I couldn’t see her at all. She was screaming and crying for help”, says Chanel.
“I knocked on the glass and the boy gave a smile.”
Chanel and the worried parents tried to enter the play area, but it was locked. They looked for IKEA staff, but couldn’t find anyone…
“I raised my voice for help and finally the IKEA staff appeared and pulled my niece out. By then she was crying badly”, writes Chanel on Facebook.
The boy was apparently accompanied by 2 adults, but Chanel feels that they were unapologetic about the whole incident.
IKEA responds to the incident
Meanwhile, IKEA has responded to the incident, and has promised to monitor the situation closely.
“We are aware that this incident took place at our IKEA Tampines store on Thursday and we are sorry about the less than pleasant experience”, IKEA responded to Stomp.
“The safety of our customers are of utmost importance, especially with children that play at our Småland play area.”
“In the event where we have observed improper children’s behaviour in Småland, our immediate course of action is to separate the children, and call their respective parents/guardian, to ensure that all parties are aware of the incident and take the corrective measures.”
IKEA said that these steps were followed in this case and that it has spoken to all parties involved.
“We will continue to monitor this situation closely. We are investigating and will also review with the co-workers concerned.”
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