At least two people who could have caught the 1 year and 6 month old baby escaping from the daycare center in Braço do Norte, in the south of Santa Catarina, were not at their usual posts at the time. An investigation by the state Public Prosecutor's Office (MPSC) detailed how the child managed to escape and walk alone on the street to his mother's work.
The case occurred on September 25th, and the scene was recorded by surveillance cameras (watch above). After the incident, the city council dismissed the site coordinator and removed the security guard. The two were indicted by the Civil Police for abandonment of an incapacitated person.
The scene was recorded by surveillance cameras (watch at the beginning of the report).
See below how the baby managed to escape, according to the MPSC investigation:
On the morning of September 25, the children from Nursery II were in the park when one of them was bitten by another student and needed assistance.
One of the support agents temporarily left the place to provide the necessary care, while the other remained with the other children.
At the same time, the security guard responsible for access control had left the station to perform another service, requested by a professional from the unit.
It was during this interval that the child managed to reach the gate and leave the establishment without supervision.
None of the people interviewed witnessed the exact moment of departure. It was also not possible to reliably determine who opened or left the gate open. Investigating this point was made difficult because the monitoring cameras were not working.
The investigation was carried out after the MPSC opened a news report to verify the safety conditions of the daycare center. The investigation included a face-to-face visit, taking statements from people involved and requesting information from the municipality, the daycare center and the city's security agencies.
Public civil action
The MP filed a public civil action against the city hall of Braço do Norte. In addition to obligations related to security (read more below), the agency requests that the municipality be ordered to pay compensation for collective moral damage. As required in the action, the amount must be allocated to the Fund for the Reconstitution of Damaged Assets (FRBL).
g1 contacted Braço do Norte City Hall and had not received a response until the last update of this report.
The place was under construction
A determining factor for the baby to escape was that the daycare center was under construction. Two classes of young children continued to be served on site.
According to the reports collected, the intervention caused changes in the rooms and spaces used by the children, required adaptations in the routine and increased the circulation of construction workers and construction materials.
There were also changes to the usual access and security conditions. The monitoring camera system, for example, was not working due to the renovation.
Baby runs away from daycare and walks to his mother's work in Braço do Norte, South of SC — Photo: Reproduction/NSC TV
Another aspect identified was the existence of a single gate used by children, family members, employees and construction workers. Under normal conditions, access should remain closed.
During the renovation, however, it needed to be opened frequently to allow workers and materials to come and go.
It was also found that there was no specific formal protocol to guarantee the safety of children during construction work.
The decision to keep the two classes in operation during the renovation had been taken by the municipal administration, which was therefore aware of the coexistence between structural interventions and early childhood education activities.
MP asks for security-related obligations in court
After the investigation, the MPSC filed a public civil action so that the municipality adopts immediate measures and fulfills a series of obligations within specified deadlines. Orders include:
within 30 days, carry out and present a survey of the safety conditions of municipal early childhood education units;
also within 30 days, identify all units that are undergoing construction, renovations or physical interventions while providing care to children;
do not keep children in units that are under construction when access control, identification and controlled movement of people outside the school community are not guaranteed;
within 60 days, present a document with standardized security procedures for all municipal units. It needs to have specific rules for daycare centers that are under construction;
within 120 days, prove that the measures and protocol were effectively implemented in all municipal early childhood education units.
Infographic - Baby escapes from daycare and goes to his mother's work in SC — Photo: Arte/g1
Baby runs away from daycare and walks to his mother's work in Braço do Norte, South of SC — Photo: Reproduction
