The owner of a daycare center in Taichung and three caregivers were fined a combined NT$750,000 for “mistreating” infants in their care on multiple occasions last year, the Taichung Social Affairs Bureau said on Tuesday.
The three caregivers — Huang Yun-en (黃昀恩), Chien Shu-chen (簡淑貞) and Lin Kuan-ping (林瓘萍) — were fined NT$150,000 each for “repeated inappropriate child care practices” at Hwa Shin Infant Care Center, based on the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act (兒童及少年福利與權益保障法), the bureau said in a statement.
They were also banned from working at child welfare facilities for 10 years, while the center’s owner, Chien Shu- hsi (簡淑喜), was fined NT$300,000 for negligence and the center, which has voluntarily suspended operations, was ordered to cease operations for one year, it said.
Security camera footage showed the three caregivers dragging and pulling children, the bureau said.
“As the infants were all under one year old, meaning their brains and skulls were still developing, such mistreatment could cause them severe harm,” the bureau said, without further elaboration.
Bureau head Peng Huai-chen (彭懷真) said caregivers serving at daycare centers have the duty to protect young children from danger.
However, the three caregivers fined “acted in ways they knew could harm the infants,” he said.
The case came to light after an abuse allegation involving a baby girl at the daycare center was reported early last year, prompting the city to launch an investigation, which ended with Huang receiving a fine of NT$60,000 and a 10-year ban from working with children.
More allegations of mistreatment by caregivers at the same center were reported last month.
The parents of several infants and New Power Party Legislator Claire Wang (王婉諭) on Feb. 18 held a news conference, at which they released security camera footage showing several babies being mistreated by the three caregivers.
The footage showed the infants being locked in a storage room or left unattended on a kitchen floor. If they cried, they were slapped on the head, held upside down by their feet or had their mouths stuffed with cloth.
The parents called on Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) to look into the case, prompting the city to renew its investigation, with the bureau finding more evidence of infants being mistreated.
Peng said that Hwa Shin’s owner was found to have failed to fulfill her duty of supervising caregivers at the center, leading to major flaws in management.
Following the new findings, the city imposed harsher punishments for breaches of the act, Peng said.
Taichung would also provide parents who intend to sue the care facility or individual caregivers with any legal assistance they need, he added.
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