Care Worker In Ukraine Caught Beating A Child Who Has Cerebral Palsy

When a 13-year-old girl with cerebral palsy began to develop crooked teeth and also started wetting her bed, her mother figured something was wrong. Larissa Sandevi, the girl’s mother, also found bruises and cuts on the girl’s body.

Larissa made the decision to secretly film the girl’s care worker—who hit the 13-year-old girl 15 times on video.

She set up a hidden camera in her home—located in Kharkiv, Ukraine. She was disturbed to see the care worker slapping her daughter Valeria on the face as well as pushing her to the floor.

The care worker in question has not been named.

Larissa noted that her daughter was doing quite well at first; Larissa then started to notice abrasions on her daughter’s body.

Obviously, Larissa asked the care worker about the whole situation when she first noticed the possibility that something was amiss; she claimed that the care worker initially offered up “reasonable explanations”.

Valeria’s condition would then deteriorate, so Larissa made the choice to secretly film what was happening.

After she did so, Larissa immediately understood why her daughter was developing abrasions, bruises, headaches, and also crooked teeth. It also explained the bed wetting.

Larissa stated that the care worker hit her daughter 15 times in a four-hour period.

The care worker initially denied hitting Larissa’s daughter; however, she would later admit that she did so. She knew it was wrong, she said, but could not stop herself.

Larissa contacted the police. She then posted the video online. It has been viewed over 50,000 times.

A viewer named Gene commented on the footage, saying that it was hard to imagine what he might have done had he been in Larissa’s shoes.

Oksana, another viewer, commented that it was good that the cam was set up. Had it not been, Oksana said, the abuse might have continued for years.

A user referring to himself as Vladimir stated that he would cripple the care worker. Only after that, he said, would he take her to law enforcement.

Police have launched an investigation into the matter. A law enforcement spokesperson has said that it is being viewed as battery that resulted in minor bodily harm. Law enforcement has the video, the spokesperson said, and is now looking into the circumstances behind what happened.

If the care giver is found guilty of harming Valeria, she could end up spending two years in jail. She might also face community service for a year.

Abuse by caregivers is unfortunately very common; victims of the abuse can be children or the elderly—or just a person who is disabled due to a medical condition.

There is more than one type of abuse, of course. In Valeria’s case, the abuse was physical. Neglect is another form of abuse. If the basic needs of a child aren’t met, that is considered abuse. A lack of food, a lack of supervision, and denying access to necessary medical treatment are all forms of neglect/abuse.

There are risk factors when it comes to child abuse. If a caregiver has a substance abuse problem, he or she is more likely to abuse a child. Low self-esteem and depression are also known to be risk factors. Even a lack of understanding regarding how children typically develop can lead to frustration and inappropriate forms of discipline.

It should go without saying that abuse occurs in families of all income levels, ethnicities, and religion.

Elder abuse is another very serious form of abuse, and one that often goes underreported. Caregiver stress is actually one of the primary causes of elder abuse. Financial matters and substance abuse can also contribute to elder abuse.

Financial abuse is a common type of elder abuse. Reports suggest that roughly one in 20 senior citizens are exploited financially every year.

One sign of financial abuse is a sudden drop in the senior citizen’s standard of living. In addition, new romantic relationships—primarily those conducted online—could be indicative of financial abuse. Scammers do reach out to elderly people online using dating websites, and the scammer will often ask for money soon after the relationship is established. Furthermore, relatives or caregivers often use a power of attorney to do things that override the wishes of the elderly person.