Maltreatment in asylum: three arrests in the Milan area.

Three women, the owner and two educators of a private kindergarten in Vanzago, in the Milan area, ended up under house arrest on charges of aggravated mistreatment of 35 children aged between six months and three years. The nursery had already been at the center of investigations in January 2023, which had led to the suspension of the owner and other educators, with a ban on practicing the profession for 12 months. However, the owner allegedly ignored this ban, continuing to work and committing new abuses together with two different educators.

The investigations

The investigations, conducted by the Investigative Unit under the coordination of the prosecutor's office Milano led by Marcello Viola, began following the declarations of two former kindergarten teachers, who in September 2023 had reported incidents of mistreatment. The investigations made it possible to identify the two educators responsible, in collaboration with the owner, and to reconstruct the abusive conduct in detail.

The Accusations

According to the indictment, the suspects shouted aggressively a short distance from the children, used scurrilous expressions, pulled them, pulled their ears, forced them to sit down and confined them in the dark on the high chair or locked in the bathroom. When the babies cried, they were placed in the crib and locked in a room alone, and were not changed when necessary.

Two other teachers at the facility are also under investigation for the same crimes. The incident has raised outrage and concern in the community, drawing attention to the need for rigorous checks and preventive measures in places intended for the care of children.