On 7/8, Ms. Vo Huynh Ngoc Thuy, Chairwoman of Thuan Giao Ward People's Committee, stated that local authorities had received reports and were coordinating with the police to verify an incident in the area involving alleged child abuse at a local preschool.

The incident came to light after multiple videos showing children being mistreated at the facility circulated on social media. In one video, the female caregiver held several rubber bands, looping them onto the soles of two children's feet, stretching them taut, and then flicking them forcefully. The children recoiled and cried after each flick.

Other videos captured her hitting a girl's head; abruptly picking up and dropping a boy onto the floor; and lifting children to move them elsewhere. While feeding, the caregiver also hit and flicked a rubber band at the hand of a crying girl.

The person who recorded the videos was also a caregiver at the facility but had since resigned. This individual stated that they secretly filmed their colleague abusing the children as evidence, and upon leaving the job, posted the footage on social media to report the incidents.

A caregiver hits and flicks rubber bands, causing children to cry at the preschool. *Screenshot from video*

This morning, the childcare facility unexpectedly closed, forcing many parents bringing their children to turn back. Some expressed surprise after watching the videos online and decided not to continue enrolling their children.

The facility cared for about 60 children. Ms. Huong, a representative of the facility, stated that it was temporarily closed to cooperate with authorities. On the evening of 6/8, the 55-year-old female caregiver, originally from Soc Trang, was invited to the police station for questioning.

Thuan Giao Ward Police reported the incident to Ho Chi Minh City Police and are consolidating the case file for further processing.

Pham Hai