Verifying the case of a nanny slapping and gagging an autistic child

Da Nang authorities are inspecting a childcare facility after a series of videos showing a nanny there using a blanket to cover the mouth of an 8-year-old girl while her friend slapped her went viral.

Mr. Hoang Son Tra, Chairman of the People's Committee of Son Tra District, announced the above information on March 1. This morning, the police and the district's Department of Education inspected the Cau Vong educational facility (No. 83 Ton Quang Phiet Street).

When the authorities arrived, the owner of the facility had removed the signs and closed all the doors of the 3-story building. Previously, the sign of this facility read "Institute of Special Education Psychology Research, Cau Vong Branch, Son Tra, Da Nang", accepting to educate children with hyperactivity, attention deficit, intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities...

According to the District People’s Committee, this facility has not been licensed to operate. The owner of the facility declared that he had hired a number of teachers to work since February 20, looking after about 5-8 children per day.

Center for raising autistic children accused of abuse — Video recording child abuse. Editor: *Anh Phu*

The incident originated from a social media post by Ms. Tran Ngoc Gia Hy, 29 years old, residing in Man Thai ward, Son Tra district, this morning. After only a few hours, the post attracted nearly ten thousand interactions.

In the video, a babysitter pulls a baby girl’s hair while she is standing and asks her to lie down on the floor for a nap. When the baby cries, the nanny covers her mouth with a blanket or her hand, then lets the baby cry while she lies down and watches her phone.

Another clip shows the nanny holding another friend's hand and slapping Ms. Hy's child's face, head, and hands, while the nanny standing next to her praises "so good".

After Ms. Hy discovered that her child had many bruises and reported it to the facility owner, on February 28, the camera recorded the scene where the facility owner instructed the nannies "from now on, you can still scold them, but you must not touch them." Specifically, if the child refuses to sit still, put the table outside so they can study alone, and if they refuse to take a nap, take them outside to avoid "making a big mess and getting a headache."

Camera recorded the scene of the nanny using a blanket to cover the mouth of an 8-year-old girl when she cried during nap time. Photo: Cut from clip — Camera captured the scene where the nanny used a blanket to cover the mouth of an 8-year-old girl when she cried during nap time. Photo: *Cut from video*

Ms. Hy said her child has autism, shows signs of hyperactivity and is slow to speak. For more than a year, Ms. Hy has sent her child to Cau Vong special education facility owned by Ms. Hau, with tuition fees of 6 million VND per month. Recently, the child came home from school with many bruises on his arms and legs. Ms. Hy contacted Ms. Hau and received the answer "because the child fell down the stairs" or "because a friend scratched him".

"I also believed it was true and ignored it because my child was improving. But about three days ago, my child came home from school with a swollen face and a slap mark from an adult, so my family suspected that my child was being abused," she said.

Ms. Hy's husband texted Ms. Hau and received a reply saying "she doesn't want to take the child anymore" and suggested the family find another place for the child to study. Ms. Hy's family went to meet Ms. Hau to clarify and requested to extract the camera in the classroom and discovered the incident.

According to her, when working with the family on the afternoon of February 29, Mrs. Hau said that she punished Ms. Hy's child by making him plant a banana tree because he was not cooperating and this was "a therapeutic exercise". Therefore, she decided to let her child stay home from school, reported to the district police and planned to hire a lawyer to protect her child's rights.

According to current regulations, the establishment of independent nursery groups and kindergarten classes is licensed by the People's Committee of the commune or ward. The owner must have a high school diploma or higher, the teacher must have a college degree, the classroom must be at least 15 square meters wide, and some other material conditions.

Nguyen Dong

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