Childcare abuse allegations: Public pressure must not lead to knee-jerk reactions

Stiffer punitive action, CCTV surveillance and retraining for teachers are not the long-term answers to such incidents.

The recent abuse cases have led to reflection and soul-searching, but it is important to not allow public pressure to turn corrosive and damage trust in our early childhood educators, says the writer. PHOTOS: SCREENGRAB FROM FACEBOOK VIDEOS
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Several years ago, I had to deal with a horrifying incident at a childcare centre that had just come under my organisation’s charge.

A teacher placed a three-year-old child inside a large cupboard, and closed the door for about a minute to discipline her. Other staff raised their concerns over this, but no action was taken by the centre leader.

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