Woman from Azov accuses kindergarten teacher of abusing her child

Elena Marchenko, a resident of the city of Azov, Rostov Region, is suing Irina Grinchak, a teacher of kindergarten No. 16, accusing her of abusing Elena's child. However, the teacher said that there was no abuse of Marchenko's 6-year-old child by her. The court upheld the opinion of the kindergarten teacher, but the family of Marchenko disagreed with the decision and intends to challenge it.

"My 6-year-old son Daniel was attending Azov kindergarten No. 16 since September 2006. On June 4, 2009, I, as usually, was taking Daniel from the kindergarten, and he began complaining of the child-minder Grinchak, Irina Anatolievna. According to his story she was frightening him with a medical syringe during the quiet hours, demanding that the child should sleep. As a result, she pricked him with the syringe needle into the right thigh," Elena Marchenko told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to her story, on that very day the parents addressed the Azov City Hospital No. 1; later, they filed an application to the OVD (Interior Division), where they received a direction to the forensic medical examination to be held on June 5. The paper runs said that "a stab wound was found on Daniel... Affection of a syringe needle is not excluded; a more accurate identification is difficult because of remoteness of formation."

"However, militiamen didn't treat the incident seriously and refused to initiate criminal proceedings without making a check. Our next step was to appeal to the prosecutor's office; the materials were sent for additional check and then to the court. The magistrate judge made a decision in respect to Grinchak "to deprive her of educational activities for the period of 6 months and fine her by 3500 roubles." But Grinchak appealed against the decision to the Azov City Court and won the case there," said Elena Marchenko.

She noted that her husband, as a private prosecutor, filed a cassation appeal, the acquittal was cancelled, and the case was forwarded to the Azov City Court to another judge. "But the new judge also decided to support teacher Grinchak. We didn't agree with this verdict either, and wrote an appeal, but lost again," she said.

It follows from the psychological-psychiatric examination of the minor Daniel that the child was not lying about that he was pricked by the teacher. "The child has no ability to exaggerate or gloss over the facts of reality," says the document.

"After everything what happened, Daniel stopped sleeping at night; he was shouting. We started taking him to a psychologist, who said that a stress obtained at this age may manifest itself through the years, and nobody knows in what way," Elena complained.

The administration of kindergarten No. 16 of the city of Azov did not refuse to comment on the situation to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"On that day, quite a lot of kindergarten employees were in the group. We all remember that none of the children was crying. We've all seen and heard it. All the children were peacefully sleeping. Moreover, on that day teacher Grinchak did not put children into beds for the quiet hour. This was done by another teacher," said Natalia Streltsova, director of the kindergarten.

Irina Grinchak herself told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that all the described events were the fruits of imagination of the boy and his parents.

According to her story, her relationships with the Marchenko family got spoilt after she had offered Daniel's mother to address a speech therapist. "I drew Elena's attention to the fact that her son had difficulties with speaking and advised to address a speech therapist. After this, all sorts of nit-pickings began," said the teacher.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent addressed for comments to Irina Cherkasova, Children's Ombudsperson in the Rostov Region.

"In this story, the parents were not initially advised on how to competently defend their rights. They lost at the court because they blamed the teacher under the article of beatings; thus, the judge found no crime elements. They should have used Article 156 of the Criminal Code, that is, cruel treatment. Moreover, after the parents' appeal to militia bodies, a service check was not conducted there. Although, in my opinion, the militia could have settled the conflict and not to bring it to the court, where the litigation lasts for almost two years already," said Irina Cherkasova.

According to her story, she has written a letter to the city prosecutor's office, asking to make a check at kindergarten No. 16. The check found plenty of violations, including sanitary-epidemiological and fire protection ones. All the persons in charge were subjected to disciplinary penalties.

"I believe that such situation, when children are frightened with a syringe, is generally unacceptable. As stated by the teacher, the syringe had no needle - aren't there any other methods of education? Today they use a syringe, and tomorrow - an axe?" asked the Children's Ombudsman.