Four-year-old’s privates pinched as punishment for not taking a nap

KUALA LUMPUR: A toddler was left with bruises and red marks on his private parts after being abused by his daycare centre teacher for refusing to sleep.

His father said the injury on his four-year-old son was discovered when the boy’s grandmother gave him a bath after picking him up from the centre in Sungai Buloh on Nov 17.

“He told us the teacher pinched his private parts as punishment for not taking an afternoon nap,” the 23-year-old man told reporters at Wisma MCA.

He said the teacher initially denied knowing anything about his son’s injuries and claimed she had to check closed-circuit television recordings when they initially sent her a text message.

Dissatisfied with her answer, the boy’s mother and grandmother confronted the teacher and this time she claimed the boy was injured while playing with his friends at the centre.

However, when threatened with a police report, she allegedly con- fessed and begged the family not to take action against her.

The family is now seeking legal action against the 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 monitor how their children were 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,” Chong said.

He warned parents to be more discerning in their choice of daycare centres.