Chelyabinsk Daycare Workers Threatened Children with Tape

Two employees of Kindergarten No. 257 in Chelyabinsk were fired following a major scandal. The basis was an audio recording on which the educators were heard insulting and intimidating toddlers from a junior group. The prosecutor«s office launched an inspection into the incident, and the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case on charges of torture on January 29.

The recording in the group was made by the mother of one of the children, who noticed sharp changes in her son«s behavior: he had become tearful and timid. The woman hid a voice recorder in a soft toy. Her fears were confirmed, and the parents gave the recording to journalists.

On the audio, the lead teacher and her assistant can be heard taking turns yelling at the children for minor infractions, such as if a child didn«t make it to the toilet in time.

One of the threats made to the children was as follows: «If you soil your pants, I won»t change you. You«ve already pissed yourself, you goat! Sit down, Misha. I»ll tape you to this chair with packing tape. I«ll tape someone»s mouth shut with packing tape.«

As reported by the regional Investigative Directorate, parents had complained about changes in their children«s behavior: they began showing aggression, fear, and slept poorly. In the adults» opinion, the educators used physical force against the children and employed profanity.

The case has been opened under clauses «a», «g», and «e» of Part 2 of Article 117 of the Russian Criminal Code. This qualifies as torture of two or more minors by a group of persons. For such a crime, the punishment ranges from three to seven years of imprisonment, with a possible ban on holding certain positions.

The education affairs committee of the Chelyabinsk mayor«s office reported that the lead teacher and the assistant teacher have been dismissed and no longer work at the institution. New teachers have already been assigned to the group.