Disabled Children with Communication Difficulties Subjected to Long-term, Repeated Abuse at Daycare Center

Allegations have emerged that multiple young students with disabilities, who face challenges in expressing themselves, were subjected to long-term, repeated abuse by teachers at a daycare center in Daegu, which is currently under police investigation following reports of child abuse.
According to the Daegu branch of the National Association of Parents for the Disabled and the Daegu Solidarity for Disability Education Rights on July 7, police have been investigating Daycare Center A, a facility specializing in care for children with disabilities in Dalseo-gu, since November of last year following a parent's report that a teacher had abused their child.
At the time, the parent discovered signs of abuse and checked the daycare center's closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, where they reportedly found evidence of a teacher pinching a child.
Consequently, the police secured two months of CCTV footage from October to November to conduct an investigation and identified the teachers involved in the abuse.
Based on the CCTV footage and testimonies from relevant parties, the police conducted further investigations and discovered that more students had suffered similar abuse. Holding them accountable, the police booked nine individuals, including the daycare director and teachers, on charges of violating the Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse and the Disability Welfare Act.
A police official stated, "The director was booked for failing to fulfill supervisory responsibilities, while the other teachers are accused of either committing the abuse or standing by while it occurred," adding, "We will refer the suspects to the prosecution soon."
Although the police have not disclosed specific details of the investigation, citing that it is an ongoing matter, civic groups claim that the number of victims at Daycare Center A reaches 15, with over 500 confirmed instances of abuse.
They also stated that the abuse took place in classrooms and therapy rooms, and that recurring scars were found on the bodies of the victimized children.
In particular, they alleged that despite being aware of the situation, the daycare center did not report it to authorities but instead attempted to cover it up by forcing the teachers involved to resign. Some of the victimized children are reportedly still attending the daycare center due to their parents' circumstances.
The parents' association stated, "Daycare centers specializing in care for children with disabilities are required to maintain a higher level of safety and supervisory responsibility than general childcare facilities, yet these suspected acts of abuse were repeated over a long period," adding, "This should be viewed as a structural failure in management and oversight across the childcare sector."
The groups plan to hold a press conference in front of the Dalseo-gu Office today, July 8, to urge the relevant authorities to provide support for the recovery of the victimized children.
Meanwhile, regarding the abuse case, Daycare Center A reportedly explained to parents that "the physical contact was necessary during the process of educating children with disabilities who were in an agitated state."
An official from Dalseo-gu stated, "Once the investigation results are released, we plan to provide psychological evaluations and other support for the victimized children in cooperation with child protection agencies."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.