Children were abused in Odesa kindergarten

A kindergarten teacher in Odesa has been fired and her mentor colleague suspended for the duration of an official inspection because of child abuse.

This was reported by Olena Buynevych, Director of the Department of Education and Science of the Odesa City Council.

According to her, the children were forced to hold their hands up and squat when they disobeyed. She was also told that children were pushed and forced to clean toilets, but the information about cleaning was not confirmed.

"I don't know if the manager was aware of the methods of education. We will definitely look into it. In the morning, we will contact the police, and they will study the actions of the two teachers involved separately. One of them, the educator of this group, will be fired, and her colleague, the mentor, will be suspended for the period of the official inspection. To the parents, I apologize for the actions of my colleagues. I hope that the worst will not be confirmed, but squatting is bullying. Psychologists of the department will work with the children with the consent of their parents," the official said.

It should be noted that in the first four months of 2025, 130 cases of bullying were recorded in Ukraine, which is 50% more than in the same period last year. On average, the police drew up 32 reports per month. The number of administrative cases against heads of educational institutions who conceal bullying has also increased: since the beginning of 2025, 11 such cases have been recorded, which is 9% of the total. For comparison, there were 14 (5%) in 2024 and only 13 (4%) in 2021. However, despite the overall increase in detected facts, court decisions were made in only 48% of cases.

In Odesa region, the number of appeals regarding child bullying in educational institutions is also constantly growing. In just 5 months, 72 people in the region turned to human rights defenders for help.

Кирило Бойко