Police detain woman suspected of abusing children

A woman carries a child as they arrive at the RYB kindergarten in Beijing

Authorities in China detained a woman suspected of abusing children at a Beijing kindergarten run by a U.S.-listed company in a case that has caused nationwide anger.

Police in Beijing’s Chaoyang district said in a statement Saturday that an investigation into a kindergarten run by Beijing-based RYB Education has led to the criminal detention of a 22-year-old female teacher on suspicion of abusing children.

The statement, posted on the district police account on the Sina Weibo microblog platform, identified the woman only by her surname, Liu, and did not provide further details.

RYB Education said it was “extremely shocked and distressed” about the crimes the teacher is suspected of committing.

“We express sincere apologies to the children involved in this case, their families and the broader society,” the statement posted on the company’s website said. “It’s a serious dereliction of duty in our management work, therefore we must bear the responsibility and carry out thorough investigation as well as make rectifications.”

The statement did not provide details of Liu’s alleged abuses.

RYB said it had fired Liu, removed the head of the Xintiandi kindergarten and is cooperating with further investigations. It said the company is hiring doctors and psychologists to aid and comfort the children who had been affected and inspecting its other branches around the country.

The scandal in Beijing erupted after the influential newsmagazine Caixin and other Chinese media quoted some parents as saying their children were forced to strip as punishment and were found with unexplained apparent needle marks on their bodies. The reported claims could not be independently verified.

Chaoyang police said separately that a 31-year-old Beijing woman has been detained after admitting to allegedly spreading false information about the involvement of a military regiment in sexually abusing the children. The statement said the woman, also surnamed Liu, expressed “deep regret” for her actions.

RYB and its franchisees operate 1,300 day care centers and nearly 500 kindergartens in 300 Chinese cities, according to its website.

The company went public on the New York Stock Exchange in September, joining other Chinese providers capitalizing on rising demand from the country’s emerging middle class for educational services.

The allegations, coming just weeks after reports of abuse at a Shanghai day care center, raised concerns about potential lapses in supervision in the booming private preschool industry. The State Council, China’s Cabinet, on Friday ordered nationwide inspections of kindergartens to review teacher conduct, citing “recent incidents in many locations.”

Earlier this month, surveillance video emerged of abuse at a Shanghai day care center run by China’s largest online travel company, Ctrip. The video, uploaded by angry parents on Chinese social media, showed teachers slapping a crying girl, pushing a toddler to the ground and force-feeding students a substance later confirmed to be wasabi.

In April, RYB Education suspended the headmaster and two teachers at another branch in Beijing after a video of a teacher kicking children was widely shared online. Gillian Wong, Beijing, AP