Controversy over 'suppressing a child and delaying urination'... Prosecutors raise their hands for daycare teachers who say, "It's not abuse."

A daycare teacher who was handed over to prosecutors for excessive discipline on children was acquitted.

According to the legal community on the 18th, the Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office decided not to indict A, a woman in her 30s, who was sent on the 26th of last month for violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes.

In November of last year, Mr. A was accused of committing child abuse by subduing a resident who was fighting with a friend by hugging his torso and ignoring his words about needing to urinate.

The parents filed a complaint, claiming that Mr. A was excessive in disciplining the child, and even though the child urinated on his clothes, he did not immediately change his clothes and made him apologize, causing shame.

Person A denied the charges.

The victim was showing extreme behavior, such as badmouthing other friends and trying to throw toys at him, so disciplinary action was taken to prevent this.

They also claimed that the child seemed to be trying to avoid an awkward situation by using the excuse of urinating, so the child apologized first and then had him change his clothes.

In addition, it was emphasized that the discipline was very brief, and if the behavior had crossed the line and was excessive, fellow teachers around him would have stopped him immediately.

The prosecution deemed that Mr. A's charges were not recognized.

The prosecution said, "It cannot be said that it was the right attitude to control the child victim and fail to immediately change his clothes in the name of discipline, but at the time, the child was in need of discipline. Considering that the child victim also tried to avoid discipline by saying 'I am going to pee' rather than complaining that he wanted to go to the bathroom, the suspect's claim is credible."

He added, "The suspect did not commit any other abusive behavior, and there is a precedent that acts similar to the relevant disciplinary laws do not constitute abuse. After the situation was over, follow-up measures were clearly taken, such as calming the child down and putting him to a nap and informing the parents of the situation."

Attorney Lee Ji-yeon of the Daeryun Law Firm, who represented Mr. A, explained, "Even if you inevitably grab or immobilize a child with aggressive tendencies to control them, it cannot be considered abuse if there was no intention to harass them. Mr. A's actions were also an inevitable measure for proper discipline, and he was able to get an acquittal by carefully proving the follow-up measures after the situation ended."

#Accident #Discipline #Daycare teacher #Child abuse #Not guilty

Shin Min-ji (sourminjee@ikbc.co.kr)

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Controversy over 'suppressing a child and delaying urination'... Prosecutors say, "It's not abuse." Daycare teachers raise their hands (Shortcut)