Ctrip nursery abuser fired, police begin investigation

A teacher at the day-care center of Shanghai-based travel company Ctrip who was found abusing children has been fired, the company said, as police open an investigation.

In a video clip taken by surveillance cameras installed in the center on November 1, the teacher, whose name has yet to be disclosed, was seen pushing a girl over and throwing her schoolbag to the ground.

In another video taken on November 3, she was filmed forcefully feeding something to several children who then apparently burst into tears. Some parents claimed she fed them wasabi, a spicy Japanese condiment.

Ctrip admitted the abuse in a statement today, expressing their apologies and announcing it has formed an emergency work group to investigate the incident. The company also promised it would provide health check-ups and psychological counseling to the children and parents involved.

A third-party company was contracted to run the day-care, but Ctrip will now seek a new provider.

It promised tighter management over the day-care facility and will provide parents with access to web cameras so that they can check up on their children at any time.

The center provides full-time day care for its employees’ children aged from 18 months to 3 years of age, one of the few companies to offer such a service.