SINGAPORE – A 40-year-old woman has been accused of repeatedly hitting a one-year-old girl and causing her to suffer linear ecchymosis, or bleeding under the skin.

The alleged incident happened at a pre-school on March 15, 2023, at around 5pm. According to the prosecution, the woman is an infant care provider, and the child was under her care.

The woman, whose details were redacted in court documents, was charged on Dec 8 with one count of ill-treating the child who was under her care.

There is a gag order to protect the child’s identity.

The woman told the court she does not plan to engage a lawyer and intends to plead guilty. She will be back in court on Jan 17, 2024.

Those convicted of ill-treating a child or young person whom they had care of can be jailed for up to eight years, fined up to $8,000, or both.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) said that it has taken action against the pre-school and the staff member involved under the Early Childhood Development Centres Regulations.

Among other things, the staff member will not be allowed to work in the pre-school sector.

A spokesman for ECDA said the agency investigated the alleged incident when the pre-school reported it on March 16.

“The pre-school immediately suspended the duties of the staff (member) involved and subsequently terminated her employment on March 20,” added the spokesman.

Pre-schools are required to report to the agency all serious incidents that have an impact on the safety of children and staff within 24 hours, the agency said.

“ECDA follows up on every alleged child mismanagement incident through unannounced visits to pre-schools, interviews and verification of records.

“Immediate actions will be taken if the findings support the allegations,” said the spokesman, adding that the agency ranks child safety as its top priority.

ECDA had announced in August that closed-circuit television cameras will be made mandatory in all pre-schools and government-funded early intervention centres by July 2024. The agency said the move is part of its regular review of security and safety measures in the early childhood sector, and is not related to any case.

The announcement came in the wake of ongoing investigations into the alleged abuse of several children attending Kinderland centres.

Videos of two teachers allegedly manhandling children had surfaced online earlier in 2023, sparking a public outcry.

In one video, a teacher is seen purportedly pouring water into a 23-month-old girl’s mouth after forcing her to lie down.

The 33-year-old former pre-school teacher, Lin Min, from a Kinderland branch, was charged in August with ill-treating a child – an offence under the Children and Young Persons Act.

A 48-year-old teacher from another Kinderland branch was arrested in August after a report was made about a video circulating online in which she is said to be seen hitting a young boy.

She is being investigated for voluntarily causing hurt to someone who is under 14.