Responding to media queries after a parent posted on a social platform that she suspected her child had been abused in a local nursery, the Social Welfare Bureau’s (IAS) Social Solidarity Department Chief Choi Sio Un said yesterday that as the police were in the midst of an investigation, his bureau would not make any comment at this stage pending the results of the investigation.
Choi made the remarks after attending a regular closed-door meeting of the government-appointed Central District Community Service Consultative Council at the Activity Centre of Patane Municipal Market.
Choi pointed out that the nursery concerned had taken the initiative notifying the bureau that a mother suspected her child had been “injured” in the creche, adding that once receiving the notification, the bureau contacted the parent at once, in order to provide the necessary assistance, while also dispatching its officials to the nursery to find out what was going on.
According to Choi, IAS officials contacted the person in charge of the nursery, as well as other people, so as to assess the case, adding that the nursery has attached great importance to it.
The public area of the nursery is equipped with surveillance systems, except the activity room as it involves the children’s privacy, considering that they are washed and have their diapers changed there, Choi stressed.
Choi reaffirmed that the bureau regularly carries out surprise inspections of the city’s creches.
The Social Welfare Bureau’s (IAS) Social Solidarity Department Chief Choi Sio Un speaks to local reporters after addressing yesterday’s regular closed-door meeting of the government-appointed Central District Community Service Consultative Council at the Activity Centre of Patane Municipal Market. – Photo: Yuki Lei
