The owner of a Taichung-based daycare center and three caregivers were fined a combined NT$750,000 (US$26,785) for “mistreating” infants in their care on multiple occasions last year, the city’s Social Affairs Bureau said Tuesday.
The three caregivers, whose names were made public — Huang Yun-en (???), Chien Shu-chen (???) and Lin Kuan-ping (???) — were each fined NT$150,000 for “repeated inappropriate child care practices” at Hwa Shin Infant Care Center, based on the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act.
They were also banned from working at child welfare institutes for 10 years, while the center’s owner, Chien Shu-hsi (???), was fined NT$300,000 for negligence and the center, which has already voluntarily suspended operations, was ordered to cease operations for one year, the city bureau said in a statement.
The bureau explained that the three caregivers were also seen in CCTV footage dragging and pulling the youngsters.
“As the infants were all under one year old, meaning their brain and head bone were still developing, such mistreatment could cause them severe harm,” the bureau said, without further elaboration.
Social Affairs Bureau head Peng Huai-chen (???) said Tuesday that caregivers serving at child daycare homes have a duty to protect such young children from danger. However, the three individuals in the case “acted in ways they knew could harm the infants,” he said.
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 Huang receiving a fine of NT$60,000 and 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 lawmaker Claire Wang (???) held a press conference, in which they released CCTV footage showing several babies being mistreated by the 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 Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (???) to look into the case and the city eventually renewed its investigation before finding more evidence of infants being mistreated.
Peng said Hwa Shin’s owner was found to have failed to fulfill her duty of supervising caregivers at the infant care center, leading to major flaws in management.
Following the new findings, the city decided to impose harsher punishments for violations of the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act, Peng said.
The city government will also provide parents who intend to sue the care facility or individual caregivers with any legal assistance they need, he added.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel