SINGAPORE: A 40-year-old woman has been accused of repeatedly hitting a one-year-old girl and causing her to suffer linear ecchymosis, which is bleeding under the skin.
The incident allegedly happened on March 15 at around 5pm. The Straits Times understands it occurred at a pre-school.
According to the prosecution, the woman is an infant care provider, and the child was under her care.
The woman, whose details were redacted in court documents, was charged on Dec 8 with one count of ill-treating the child who was under her care.
There is a gag order to protect the child’s identity.
Those convicted of ill-treating a child or young person whom they had care of can be jailed for up to eight years, fined up to $8,000, or both.
The woman told the court she has not engaged a lawyer and intends to plead guilty. She will be back in court on Jan 17.
ST has contacted the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), which regulates and develops the early childhood sector.
The agency had announced in August that closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras will be made mandatory in all pre-schools and government-funded early intervention centres by July 2024.
ECDA said the move is part of its regular review of security and safety measures in the early childhood sector, and not related to any case.
The announcement came in the wake of ongoing investigations into the alleged abuse of several children attending Kinderland centres.
Videos of two teachers allegedly manhandling children had surfaced online earlier in 2023, sparking a public outcry.
In one video, a teacher is seen purportedly pouring water into a 23-month-old girl’s mouth after forcing her to lie down.
The 33-year-old former pre-school teacher, Lin Min, from a Kinderland branch, was charged in August with ill-treating a child – an offence under the Children and Young Persons Act.
A 48-year-old teacher from another Kinderland branch was arrested in August after a report was made about a video circulating online in which she is said to be seen hitting a young boy.
She is being investigated for voluntarily causing hurt to someone who is under 14. - The Straits Times/ANN
