Vox Pop: Protecting children at school

Police are investigating allegations that a three-year-old boy in Haidian district was pricked on his genitals by his kindergarten teacher. The case has ignited debate over the duty-of-care kindergartens provide to their young students. How can parents protect their children from being harmed? How can schools assure parents their children are in safe hands? What is the situation like in your home country? Are there relevant laws to protect children? Li Chanyu hit the streets to find out.

Cedric Garrido, government official, France

It's hard for parents to protect their kids when they are in school. I really don't know what parents can do. Schools should be strict when they recruit teachers, perhaps by conducting psychological tests for candidates. There are many such cases in France, but not in kindergartens. Most occur in religious schools.

Pelim Onco, student, Turkey

I think parents should talk with their child's teacher and ask the teacher to take care of children. If children are harmed, parents could pull their kids out of the school and find a new one. Schools should only hire suitable teachers.

Jason Copperfield, businessman, US

Parents should never leave their children alone at home. Both parents and the schools have the responsibility to teach children basic knowledge about protecting themselves. They also ought to keep items that could cause harm to children away from them. These kinds of incidents are rare in the US because of the tough punishments for teachers if they are prosecuted.

Jaafah Rahman, manager, Indonesia

I think children should be allowed to play and learn lessons by themselves. Parents can't always be with their children. Schools should tell children what is dangerous and harmful. It's ridiculous, and I've never heard of any similar cases. We have the laws to protect kids in Indonesia.

Matthew Colin, engineer, US

I think parents should take good care of their children. They should be well aware of how their children are doing at kindergarten. Schools should ensure hired teachers are well qualified for their jobs. I've heard of such incidents in the past in the US, where there are laws to protect kids.

Evanova Oliya, teacher, Russia

Parents should communicate with their children more frequently. They also have a responsibility to choose a reliable school for their children. I don't know much about what the school should do and I don't know whether similar cases have occurred in the past or not. Russia has specific laws to protect children's rights.

Yamaguti Naoki, sales manager, Japan

Parents should teach children how to protect themselves and how to deal with a situation where someone is trying to harm them. The school ought to set up strict rules to standardize teachers' behavior. Cases like this have occurred in Japan. Sometimes children who are not good at communicating with people will be bullied or isolated.