SHAH ALAM – A woman said her heart was ripped out upon seeing her two-year-old nephew's face covered in bruises, which she believes were the result of abuse by his babysitter.
The babysitter had taken the boy out for a walk before returning him to his parents’ home around 9.39pm last Thursday.
In a Facebook post, Zehra Zubari said the family was shocked to see the child's face covered in red marks, suspected to be from beatings, after he had been taken out for more than 10 hours without permission.
“Our hearts are shattered. Words cannot describe the pain we felt upon seeing our beloved nephew’s condition.
“This two-year-old boy, who cannot yet speak and has no understanding of the world, has become a victim of a heartless human being. How could you do this? What wrong has he done to deserve being hit, hurt and abused in this way," she wrote.
According to Zehra, her brother had sent his son to the babysitter’s house in good health as usual, but they never imagined the boy would suffer such abuse while under her care.
“The signs of suffering were clear on every part of his face. Only God knows how much it hurt us to see him like this,” she said.
Following the incident, the boy’s parents lodged a police report and hope firm action will be taken against the perpetrator.
Zehra added that her nephew is now traumatised, refusing to be carried by family members and often complaining of pain while touching his cheek.
“On the fifth day of his hospital treatment, he is still severely traumatised and often wakes up crying in his sleep. He doesn’t want us to carry him and only says, ‘No, no, no.’ He cannot speak fluently yet, but the word he frequently says now is ‘akit,’ meaning pain, while rubbing his cheek.
"He was possibly beaten around 12.30pm and hidden for 10 hours without treatment.
"The babysitter’s husband allegedly slapped him, but doctors confirmed that the marks around his eye were not caused by a slap,” she said.
Zehra also shared that the babysitter and her husband have since been arrested by the police, while the boy’s family has appointed a lawyer to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.
Meanwhile, Shah Alam District Police Chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Iqbal Ibrahim confirmed the arrest of the couple to assist investigations into the abuse of the two-year-old child. According to him, the report was lodged by the victim’s mother last Friday.