While we do trust childcare centres to take care of our children, it can be a difficult situation when you find your child possibly harmed by the same place.
On Tuesday (30 March), a mother in Singapore was distressed for just this reason as she accused a childcare centre of allegedly abusing her daughter. While the centre has denied her accusations, the police are currently investigating the incident.
The Child Was Allegedly Abused For Being Late
Ms Xue claims that her 9-year-old daughter was abused after spotting bleeding scratch marks on her arm. She noticed the bruises over dinner back on 26 March, as reported by Shin Min Daily News.
To her shock, her daughter was punished for arriving 30 minutes late after lunch. The apparent punishment was believed to have lasted 45 minutes as the child's arm was scratched and her hair pulled. It was also reported that they had allegedly shaken her body over 10 times.
The 9-year-old said she repeatedly cried out in pain during the whole ordeal. But her teacher did not stop. She said she even got dizzy as she was being shaken.
While recalling the incident, her daughter also claimed that her teacher placed a bag over her head and attempted to wrap it around her neck.
Childcare Centre Denies Allegations Of Abusing The Child
The childcare centre has denied all allegations and even accused Ms Xue of attempts at extortion. Mr Lin who is the centre's person-in-charge denies mistreating the child and has also accused the mother of the 9-year-old of slander.
A report has already been lodged with the police and investigations are still ongoing. Judgement will be withheld for now until the authorities get to the bottom of this case.
Detecting Signs That Your Child May Be Suffering Abuse
As parents, we want to ensure the safety of our child no matter where they go, especially in places where we're not around to watch over them. To keep our kids safe from harm or any types of violence in schools, here are a few signs you should look out for:
1. Refuses to go to school. If for some reason your child no longer wants to attend classes despite having no problems before. There might be something they want to avoid in school or maybe even 'somebody' who scares them.
2. Random bruises on their body. Discovering cuts or wounds on your child with no clear explanation as to how they got them may be a big red flag of bullying or abuse.
3. Behaving differently. You might notice that your child is suddenly acting out of aggression or anger, which may be a complete shift from their previous behaviour.
4. Sudden loss of self-confidence. Types of violence either in schools or even at home can cause a person to develop anxiety and depression as well as unusual fears. Remember to be as understanding of your child's feelings when tackling such topics.
5. Attempting self-harm themselves. If your child is a victim of physical or verbal abuse, he/she might subject themselves to physical harm. Which is why it is crucial to keep an eye on them.
Lead image source from Facebook / Shin Min Daily News 新明日报.
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