Foster parents in Dnipro will stand trial for torturing six children
Juvenile prosecutors from the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Prosecutor's Office have filed an indictment against two foster parents at a family-style children's home. They are accused of systematically torturing and abusing six children aged 3 to 10.
According to the investigation, from 2019 to 2024, the children were systematically beaten, humiliated, deprived of food, and subjected to cruel punishments. The caregivers used obscene and offensive nicknames instead of the children’s names. The girls had their hair shaved close to the scalp and were beaten with rose stems; one of them was struck in the face with a cane for losing a needle.
The investigation established a number of instances of abuse:
For the slightest offense, the children were beaten with sticks, a belt with a metal buckle, and a carpet beater. One of the boys was kicked in the head by a caregiver who ran up to him and then continued to punch him.
The children were forced to kneel on buckwheat, walk on stones until they bled, were chained up, and forced to imitate animal behavior. One of the boys was made to wear a dog collar.
For “disobedience” or taking food without permission, the children were kept on bread and water for weeks and forced to sleep on a wooden bench without a bed. Food was sometimes thrown directly on the ground, or the children were shoved face-first into the bread.
The children were used as unpaid labor during renovations at the defendants’ dacha.
How the Crime Came to Light
The systematic abuse was exposed only after the oldest of the children enrolled in school and found the courage to speak out about what was happening in the family.
Currently, the family-style children’s home has been shut down, and all the affected children have been placed with new foster families. The pre-trial investigation has been completed, and the cases have been referred to court.
This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General.
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