Nine parents confirmed on Monday that they suspect their children were sexually abused at a local kindergarten in Macau, but not all of them have filed reports with the police.
The parents spoke at a press conference on Monday, questioning the methods of the ongoing investigation conducted by the judiciary police into the case. The parents were accompanied by Macau lawmaker Agnes Lam at the press conference. Their allegations relate to a Filipino janitor who worked at the D Jose da Costa Nunes school, the Macao Daily News reported.
Four parents are understood to have gone to the police to provide statements on what their child endured, but three others only spoke to the police.
In two cases, the parents opted not to file a report with the police due to concern they would inflict further psychological distress on their children.
One parent said some affected children had shown abnormal behavior after the investigators repeated questions to the children several times. And some parents were allowed to accompany their child while police took statements but some could not.
The children affected have shown panicky behavior like biting fingers, claiming they are ugly, and in one case a child refused to allow her father to help her take a shower and was unwilling to go to school.
Parents urged the Macau government to establish a more consistent system for the investigation, suggesting they should have at least one professional psychological counselor present while statements are taken, as well as allowing parents to accompany their kids.
The judiciary police responded by saying they have set up a specific playroom to investigate cases involving children and that the two-hour investigation procedures for the children aims to “find out the truth”.
The parents also revealed that one of them reported a case of suspected abuse to a teacher at the kindergarten six months ago, but was later told the school “had forgotten to do a follow-up” on the matter.
Read: Police probe Filipino for alleged sexual abuse at kindergarten