Taipei prosecutors yesterday charged two sisters for allegedly abusing another two children in their care, following an indictment last year for allegedly torturing a one-year-old boy to death.
The Liu (劉) sisters were in April last year charged with child abuse in the case of an infant nicknamed “Kai Kai” (剴剴) who was allegedly beaten to death in December 2023, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said.
That case is being heard by the Taipei District Court.
Photo: Taipei Times
Kai Kai died on Dec. 24, 2023, less than four months after the Child Welfare League Foundation (CWLF) placed him in full-time foster care with the elder sister, Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱), an accredited home-based foster caregiver in Taipei, the Taipei City Government said.
During their investigation prosecutors found that the elder sister had been caring for a six-month-old infant surnamed Pan (潘) since April 2023, and the younger sister, Liu Juo-lin (劉若琳), had been looking after a newborn sunamed Tsai (蔡) through the CWLF at the same time.
The sisters often supported each other or jointly cared for the two children, the prosecutors’ office said in a statement.
While Liu Juo-lin was taking care of Tsai on Sept. 3, 2023, she allegedly did not intervene when another child in her care, surnamed Lin (林), pressed his feet against Tsai’s head and tightened the lanyard holding the pacifier around the infant’s neck.
She also failed to take action when Lin allegedly flicked Tsai’s eyes, nose, face and neck, causing Tsai to cry. Instead of stopping Lin, Liu Juo-lin recorded the scene on video and made fun of the incident, prosecutors said.
In October 2023, when the younger Liu was on leave for surgery, Liu Tsai-hsuan took care of Tsai. On Oct. 29, she allegedly tied Tsai’s hands and legs to a chair.
Prosecutors said that in September 2023, the Liu sisters made Pan stand with one foot on a chair and the other on the ground, so the child could not get up nor down, inflicting pain and causing the infant to cry. When he reached out for help, the two sisters ignored Pan.
In addition, Pan’s mother told prosecutors that the child’s anus was severely swollen, blistered and ulcerated after Liu Tsai-hsuan took care of him, which she attributed to his diapers not being changed often enough, prosecutors said.
The mother repeatedly told the elder sister that she should change Pan’s diapers more often, but the nanny failed to do so, prosecutors said, adding that despite a doctor’s warnings and Pan’s mother’s reminders, Liu Tsai-hsuan did not improve the way she cared for Pan.
The prosecutors’ office concluded its investigation yesterday, charging the Liu sisters with obstructing the natural development of the children, coercion and inflicting injury, while seeking heavy sentences in accordance with the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act (兒童及少年福利與權益保障法).
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