Cape Town - A desperate mother is fighting for justice after her 14-month-old toddler was allegedly assaulted at a daycare centre in Parow Valley.
The mother, whose identity is being withheld to protect her daughter, said that when the toddler came home with bruises all over her body, she took her to the police immediately because she did not want the “worst experience ever” to happen to another child.
“On November 29, my baby came home with bruises. It was bad, the skin was red and swollen. We went to the police immediately and a detective from the Bellville FCS (Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences) Unit took her to Karl Bremmer Hospital to be examined. The doctor asked if we had washed her which we hadn’t. The doctor checked and noted that there had been no sexual penetration. He said she had been subjected to blunt force trauma.”
Police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk confirmed that a case of assault was being investigated by the FCS.
When Cape Argus contacted the daycare centre, a spokesman said they had “nothing to say” and would not “comment now”.
The toddler’s mother added: “Their story is that they did not see the marks and they did not know about it. She is only a baby but she has changed a lot. If she falls, she does not cry, as if she is not allowed to cry. She gets frightened when she hears loud noises. She runs away when she sees people. It is very sad when your baby does not smile anymore and so much fear. Our main objective in telling her story is that we don’t want it to happen to another child.”
Since early December, a day mother who cares for only a small group of children has been looking after her daughter.
Department of Social Development (DSD) spokeswoman Esther Lewis said the Parow Valley crèche was unregistered and urged “all parents to remain vigilant when it comes to the care of their children”.
“We appeal to parents to check the registration status of the crèche by asking to see two certificates, the registration of the crèche by the DSD (the department) and to look at the date, as the registration status is only valid for one year. They should also ask if the learning programmes are registered with DSD. Both of these are mandatory, whether or not the crèche is funded by the Department, or privately run,” said Lewis.