A South Korean daycare worker was recently arrested for assaulting a four-year-old child, and video released of the incident has quickly spread across the internet. This gut-wrenching video has sparked a debate about the prevalence of child abuse in daycare centers.
WARNING: the following video is disturbing and may be difficult for some to watch.
According to reports, the 4-year-old child was unable to eat the food that was being served—Kimchi or fermented cabbage—and spit it out. What happens next is unimaginable. The monster “teacher” swings her right arm at the child, striking the girl in the head so hard that it knocked her off her feet and onto the ground. Other children can be seen in the background watching in fear.
Police arrested and questioned the teacher one week later, after learning of the incident. In the few days preceding the release of the video, police located four more plausible reports of violence in the daycare.
South Korean media reported that cameras showed a similar case in the same area in December. According to reports from YTN, a teacher threw a child on the group for not taking a nap. That incident is still being investigated.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to suspend the nursery school’s license to operate as well as the instructor’s license immediately. This has caused some local newspapers to question whether there should be a stricter screening system for employees in childcare centers.
Government Action
As a result of these incidents, the South Korean government has plans to introduce an examination for day care centers that will be implemented nationally. This comes amid concerns that the country is providing lax monitoring of child care facilities.
It will also be necessary for child care facilities to install surveillance cameras, and any that fail to do so will not be allowed to operate.
While this is an extreme case, it has raised enough concern within the country to lead to government action. The implementation of a surveillance camera is something that we should absolutely mandate for all child care facilities in the U.S. as well. While regulations can help prevent instances of abuse, those who have been victimized by daycare abuse often lack solid evidence to present in court. It often amounts to one person’s word against the other.
This video, although extremely upsetting, shows why video evidence is so important to cases of daycare abuse. If the U.S. were to require surveillance cameras in all of its daycare and child care facilities, parents would better-have the ability to hold abusive daycare workers accountable for their actions. After all, cameras don’t lie.