The Garderêve nursery was shut down on July 11, 2023 after a video leaked depicting child abuse. (Credit: Hussam Chbaro)
A daycare center in Ashrafieh has been permanently closed until further notice by order of the Beirut Court of Appeals’ Public Prosecution, following instructions from Judge Raja Hamoush, due to multiple violations, a Health Ministry spokesperson told L’Orient Today on Tuesday.
"According to the details, the violations allegedly include child abuse, based on a complaint filed by parents. The Ministry of Public Health has been notified to take the necessary measures," the spokesperson said adding that no further information could be shared with the media "at this time."
An informed source said the nursery was not officially registered with the Syndicate of Nursery Owners in Lebanon and therefore had not undergone the necessary inspection or training through the syndicate.
The case comes just weeks after another daycare, in the southern town of Rmeish (Bint Jbeil), was shut down indefinitely in August after several mothers filed complaints alleging that their children had been subjected to abuse, beatings and food theft. The closure was announced after an investigation during which the person in charge at the nursery admitted to the charges made against her.
In July 2023, leaked videos of abuse at a daycare in Jdeideh (Metn) shocked parents and triggered nationwide outrage. The footage showed staff force-feeding infants, beating them and laughing while children cried in the background. The Health Ministry shut down the facility immediately. In December 2024, the Criminal Court of Mount Lebanon sentenced a childcare worker, Jenny Heou, to four years in prison in connection with the Garderêve case. The daycare’s owner, Tony Mehanna, and a cleaning woman were each sentenced to three years.
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