Two people were arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of abusing infants at a daycare centre in Lebanon, the Internal Security Forces said, after a video apparently showing babies being beaten and force-fed at a nursery circulated online.
The Garderêve nursery in Jdeideh, Mount Lebanon, where the video was taken, has been shut down, Health Minister Firas Al Abiad said on Tuesday. He said its licence had been revoked "based on confirmed data revealed by a prompt investigation into the case of child abuse”.
"There is no circumstance that justifies undermining the safety and well-being of children in any way, and any behavior that goes against their protection is unacceptable," Mr Al Abiad said.
The security forces identified the accused only by their initials - ‘DH’, born in 1979 and ‘C’, born in 1985.
Mr Abiad called on the Lebanese judiciary to enforce a strong punishment on the perpetrators, adding that just closing the nursery was not enough.
The video showed one staff member repeatedly and forcefully stuffing what appears to be food into a baby’s mouth as it sat in a chair. When the infant spat it out, the woman shouted and then slapped him in the face. She then took a tissue and violently cleaned the food from the baby’s face.
It also shows a woman thumping another child on the head after it spat out his food, then forcefully pushing the baby into his chair.
On Tuesday, Mr Abiad also announced the health ministry's intention to establish an online platform giving parents access to detailed information on daycare centres and their employees, “enabling parents to check whether the daycare where they enroll their children complies with required standards."
“The video was shocking to all of us,” Mr Al Abiad added.
