The Taichung City Government has censured the head of its Social Affairs Bureau over his poor handling of a case involving physical abuse of young children at a care center, Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) said yesterday.
Lu made the remarks during an extraordinary session convened by the Taichung City Council to ask the city government to report on the matter, with many councilors saying the administration has shown a lack of urgency in investigating the child abuse charges.
Peng Huai-chen (彭懷真) has already received a formal written warning about the bureau’s negligence in investigating Hwa Shin Infant Care Center, Lu said.
Peng is a sociology expert and the first bureau head under her to be censured, Lu added.
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), three caregivers, whose names were made public, at the care center were each fined NT$150,000 for “repeated inappropriate child care practices,” the bureau said on March 1.
They were also banned from working at child welfare institutes 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.
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 a caregiver surnamed Huang being fined NT$60,000 and receiving a 10-year ban from working with children.
This year, more allegations of mistreatment by caregivers at the same center were reported. On Feb. 18, the parents of several infants and New Power Party Legislator Claire Wang (王婉諭) held a news conference, in which they released CCTV footage showing several babies being mistreated by 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 to stop them crying.
The parents called on the mayor to look into the case and for the city to renew its investigation.
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