Police are investigating claims of child abuse at one of Beijing’s most well-known kindergartens, Xinhua reports. Multiple parents claim that their children – aged 2 to 6 – were sexually molested by teachers. Needle marks were reportedly found on the children’s bodies, and there are also allegations that the victims were fed unidentified white pills.
The kindergarten is run by RYB Education Inc, which was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in September. RYB operates 1,500 preschools and kindergartens in 300 Chinese cities.
RYB posted on its official account on Friday morning, apologizing to parents and stating that they are cooperating with police and taking the case seriously.
“We are currently working with the police to provide relevant surveillance materials and equipment; the teachers in question have been suspended and we are cooperating with the police investigation,” RYB said.
A CCTV broadcast showed police and outraged parents gathered outside of the school in Choayang on Friday morning.
Parents outside of the school demanded answers and some claimed that their children gave similar accounts of being given pills and being forced to stand naked in class, Reuters reports.
The allegations come after videos began circulating earlier this month showing teachers at a Shanghai kindergarten beating and force-feeding young children, South China Morning Post reports. The accusations have caused widespread criticism of China's booming child education industry.
[Images via Reuters]
