Beaten and locked in the cellar: in Mykolaiv, a boy asked to be taken away from his family because of his stepfather’s abuse

In Mykolaiv, a boy asked to be removed from his family due to his stepfather’s mistreatment. Illustrative photo: iStock

In Mykolaiv, a boy approached the child welfare service asking to be removed from his family due to abuse by his stepfather.

The decision was approved by the executive committee on 25 March, according to NikVesti.

According to the report, the boy said that his stepfather had beaten him, locked him in the cellar for several hours, hit him in the face with a ball and shouted at him. Because of this, he ran away from home to his grandparents and does not want to return to his mother and stepfather.

«He contacted the Child Welfare Service of the Central District Administration of the Mykolaiv City Council and reported that his stepfather treats him cruelly, namely: beats him, locks him in the basement for several hours without light, just on the floor, hit him twice in the face with a ball, took away all his toys, shouts at him, humiliates him, and has deprived him of contact with his peers; therefore, he ran away from home in dirty old clothes to his grandparents and does not wish to return to his mother and stepfather, asking them to protect him,» the document states.

Specialists from the Child Welfare Service and the Mykolaiv City Centre for Social Services assessed the situation as a threat to the child’s life and health. At a meeting of the Commission on the Protection of Children’s Rights, it was recommended that the boy be immediately removed from the family and temporarily placed with his grandparents.

It should be noted that in the Mykolaiv region, a 33-year-old man was informed that he was suspected of failing to fulfil his child-care duties and of leaving the child in danger, which led to the child’s death.