 |
| Photo posted by the baby's father on Facebook shows part of the child's burnt arm |
A 48-year-old Filipino domestic helper arrested by the police yesterday on suspicion of child abuse, two days after a one-year-old baby under her care suffered burns from hot water.
The case was brought
out on Facebook by the baby’s father, who posted photos of the boy’s scalded
right arm, which also appeared to have a large patch of peeling skin.
The father claimed
that the child’s injuries were the result of the helper retaliating after he
reprimanded her on Monday for failing to clean the house properly.
 |
| PRESS THIS FOR DETAILS |
He said that after the
scolding the helper took the baby to the kitchen where she was cooking congee.
Shortly afterwards the baby started screaming, and when his wife rushed to the
kitchen they saw the helper holding the child under running water.
The helper reportedly
claimed that the baby had pulled the wire of the electric kettle, causing hot
water to spill on him, and leaving him with burns to his torso and right arm.
The baby was rushed to
Prince of Wales hospital for treatment, and was discharged after two days. The
father said they were told by the doctor that their baby suffered second-degree
burns, and might need skin grafting in future.
 |
| Basahin ang detalye! |
After the baby’s
discharge, his mother went to the police to file a complaint, and the helper
was arrested.
The investigation is now being handled by the Sha Tin District Criminal Investigation Department. The police said the accused "is provisionally charged with one count of abusing or neglecting children or young people in their care" and will appear in Shatin Court today, Mar 7.
Staff at the
assistance to nationals section of the Migrant Workers Office told The SUN that
they have not been informed about the case yet, but they will definitely extend
help if needed.
The father’s post on
the Facebook page dedicated to domestic workers but is in Chinese, garnered a
lot of attention. The commenters, presumably all employers, have urged the
father to go to the police and ensure the helper is prosecuted for child abuse.
But Cynthia Tellez,
manager of the Mission for Migrant Workers, is urging the public against making
swift judgment, saying it would be too harsh to accuse the helper of
deliberately harming the baby just because her employer had reprimanded her.
“Only the truly evil
will do such a thing,” Tellez said. “It is unfortunate that the baby suffered extensive
injuries, but we should also ask why the helper had to bring the baby to the
kitchen while cooking when the employers were at home at the time, and could
have looked after him themselves.”
But, she added that since the police are already investigating, the public should refrain from making their own conclusions and judgments on the case.
.jpg) |
| PRESS FOR DETAILS |
