Parents Outraged by Prosecutor's Office Response to Complaints of Abuse in Sochi Kindergarten

The Kuban prosecutor's office indicated that those guilty of inappropriate treatment of children in one of the Sochi kindergartens have been punished, and the psychological climate in it is normal. Parents believe that the dismissal of the teacher and disciplinary action against the director of the kindergarten are not enough.

As "Kavkazsky Uzel" wrote, in early March, the mother of a pupil of one of the kindergartens in Sochi accidentally filmed a video showing that the teacher was treating the children in a rude manner. She grabbed one of the girls and dipped her face into a plate, after which she passed the food to another child. The video was first posted in a parent chat, then it was published by a number of Telegram channels. On March 12, more than 100 parents sent a collective statement to the prosecutor's office, the education department, and the presidential administration of the Russian Federation. They asked to initiate a criminal case, conduct an internal investigation and prohibit the teacher from working with children.

The parents of the children of one of the kindergartens in Sochi received a response signed by the head of the department for supervision of the implementation of laws on minors and youth of the prosecutor's office of the Krasnodar Territory Kliminchenko. The response is dated August 18. Parents are surprised that responses take almost 10 days to arrive and are sent from one department to another without any specific action. And these transfers last for six months, while the children are in a difficult situation when their rights to a decent treatment are violated. The response was provided by the parents to the "Caucasian Knot".

It states that the regional prosecutor's office reviewed the parents' appeal received from the State Duma "about the teacher's non-pedagogical influence on the pupil" in the kindergarten. The department noted that the facts of unlawful behavior on the part of the teacher were identified.

From the document sent by the prosecutor's office, it follows that the teacher, who treated the children rudely, resigned on March 10, 2025 of her own free will after an internal investigation was conducted. A psychologist worked with the group of children, who found the "emotional and psychological climate satisfactory." The head of the kindergarten received disciplinary action.

Such formal measures are not able to eliminate the consequences of the impact on children, and parents are forced to trust educators who previously violated the rights of their children, the parents of the children said. "We are left alone with those who distort our children's perception of reality. Their actions leave trauma, and the administration and prosecutor's office's responses to letters and appeals are delayed for months," said one of the parents, Elena Baranetskaya.

The regional prosecutor's office assures that the Sochi city administration plans to install video surveillance, funds have been allocated for the work, and refresher courses have been planned for teachers," Baranetskaya is confident that these measures do not compensate for the harm already caused, and that the upbringing of their children "continues under the control of the individuals who committed the violence."

The regional prosecutor's office also noted violations in the "Regulations on the Ethics of Communication in Parent Chats" and filed a protest, which is still being considered. According to the parents, such bureaucratic measures do not ensure control over the real processes in the kindergarten.

Separately, the prosecutor's office emphasized that the materials were transferred to the police, where a procedural check is being carried out within the framework of Articles 144-145 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation, but the final decision has not yet been made, which increases the feeling of helplessness among the parents. "We have to wait months, and sometimes years, until the competent authorities make a decision, and our children remain under the influence of people who have already proven their dishonesty," notes the parent who filed the lawsuit, Kristina Solomatina.

The official document also states that parents have the right to appeal the prosecutor's decisions to a higher prosecutor or to the court, but in practice this opportunity is difficult to access and requires significant effort, the parents, who have been trying for six months to achieve justice and the adoption of specific decisions by the authorities, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

 "We sought justice, but the teacher simply resigned of her own accord. It turns out that there is no accountability, and the children are left with memories of how they were bullied," says Natalya Zharova, whose daughter faced threats from the kindergarten staff.

"The Sochi administration writes, based on the words of the offenders themselves, that everything is fine in our group," Baranetskaya emphasized.

At the same time, it follows from the response of the regional prosecutor's office that the Sochi administration plans to install video surveillance, for which funds have been allocated, and advanced training courses are planned for teachers. "Cameras, reports and paper checks - all this is for the good. But the Violence has already happened, and its traces in the child’s soul cannot be erased by any formal commission. We want real responsibility for the guilty," says Elena Baranetskaya.

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