KUALA LUMPUR: A young boy had his private parts pinched by a minder at a daycare centre when he refused to take a nap, the boy's father said.
According to the father, his four-year-old son's injury was revealed when the boy's grandmother gave him a bath after picking him up from the daycare centre in Sungai Buloh at around 6pm on Nov 17.
The father said he was shocked to find bruises and red marks on his son's private parts.
"When we asked him what happened, he said the minder pinched his private parts as punishment for not taking an afternoon nap," the 23-year-old man told reporters during a press conference at Wisma MCA on Tuesday.
He said he then brought his son to a clinic for a check-up where a doctor confirmed that the red marks and swelling was caused by someone's nail.
"We sent a text message to the minder to ask about it but she denied any knowledge about my son's injury and said she would have to check the CCTV footage," he said.
Unsatisfied with her answer, the boy's father and grandmother confronted the minder again and this time the woman claimed that the boy was injured while playing with his friends at the centre.
However, when threatened with a police report, the minder confessed her misdeeds and begged for the family not to press charges.
The family is now seeking legal action against the daycare centre.
MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong said he was shocked at the punishment the boy received and urged parents to be aware of how their children are being treated at daycare centres.
"Last month, a girl gagged her younger brother because her minder had done it to her as a punishment for being noisy.
"Luckily, her parents found out and were able to prevent anything worse from happening," he said.
Chong also warned parents to be more discerning in their choice of daycare centres.
