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Parents send their young children to playschools by placing complete trust in its teachers and employees, but that trust has been shattered at several branches of a local daycare centre.
In recent days, photos and videos of an alleged neglect and child abuse incident went viral on social media.
One case that stood out is of a child under the school’s care who was allegedly kept locked in a storage room.
Police say they received three reports between the evening of 21 January and morning of 22 January concerning the child who was (as claimed on social media) locked up.
According to The Star, Shah Alam OCPD Assistant Commissioner Ramsay Ebol said investigations found that the 11-year-old boy has been attending the daycare center since he was five years old.
He added that a statement was also recorded from influencer Ariz Ramli, better known as Caprice.
Caprice shared a video of the daycare that appeared to be in deplorable condition. According to his caption, the autistic boy was stripped of his clothing and locked up in a storage room at the centre’s Section 13, Shah Alam branch.
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More cases of child abuse at other branches surface on social media
It seems that the child who was allegedly locked up is not an isolated case. On Threads, several users have shared a photo of a child walking down a large storm drain.
Several accounts on Threads claim that several children were forced to move to an adjacent building via the drain when the school received notice that the Department of Social Welfare (JKM) was coming to conduct a check of the branch in Puchong Prima.
One more incident was of a teacher who allegedly lost their patience while managing the children and shaved the head of one of the kids without their parents’ consent. This incident allegedly occurred at a branch in Cheras.
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Daycare issues statement regarding viral child neglect and abuse accusations
The daycare center involved, Al-Kauthar Eduqids (AKE), released a public statement on social media on 20 January.
Its headquarters said that it had been informed of an incident at one of its branches and acknowledges the public’s attention towards the issue.
“Following the reports, AKE – HQ has launched an internal investigation and is providing full cooperation to the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) to ensure the investigation is comprehensive and transparent. A copy of the CCTV footage has also been surrendered to the police to assist in the investigation,” the statement said.
As an early precaution, AKE also said in its statement that it has activated an official complaint channel via akeaduan@gmail.com in case any similar incidents occur at other premises under the AKE brand.
The institution urged the public against making speculations and allow the investigation to run its course, before stating that it puts the safety and wellbeing of children under their care as its top priority.
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Despite the reported incidents, it seems that not all of its branches are problematic. Some parents have shared on social media that they send their children to AKE too and have not encountered any problems with the premises or the staff.
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