Pavlodar Kindergarten Teacher Sentenced for Child Abuse

A court in Pavlodar has sentenced a kindergarten teacher to prison for the cruel treatment of children in her care. The 33-year-old woman was found guilty of abusing multiple toddlers, an investigation triggered by surveillance footage published by parents.

The scandal erupted in June 2025 after parents of three-year-olds shared disturbing videos from the kindergarten's security cameras online. The footage showed the teacher grabbing children by their hair, pushing, slapping, and hitting them. The incidents occurred in the locker room while the children were changing clothes. Sixteen toddlers were officially recognized as victims in the case.

The educator faced charges under Article 140 of the Criminal Code (improper performance of duties by an employee of an educational institution involving cruel treatment of a minor) and parts 1 and 2 of Article 110 (torture). During the trial, she fully admitted her guilt and apologized to the parents of the affected children.

After examining video evidence and witness testimonies, the court sentenced her to four years and six months in prison. However, considering that she is a mother to three minor children—the youngest being just five months old—the execution of the sentence was deferred for five years.

In announcing the verdict, the judge detailed the abuse: "While performing her duties as a kindergarten teacher, [the defendant] cruelly treated children. She struck them with her hands on their heads and arms, roughly removed their clothing, forcefully sat them on chairs, jerked them around, or hit various parts of their bodies—arms and heads—causing some children to hit their heads against hard objects. There are instances where she led a child around the room by their hair or ear, shook them, or threw them onto beds."

Forensic medical examinations confirmed that three children had sustained bruises and abrasions. The court acknowledged both mitigating circumstances related to her family situation and aggravating factors—namely that she committed these crimes while performing her official duties.

Despite her conviction, parents of the victims expressed dissatisfaction with what they consider a lenient sentence and plan to appeal. "Our children suffered not only from beatings and her cruel treatment; they received psychological trauma," said mothers of some affected toddlers. "We consider such a soft sentence unjust."

The parents had also sought compensation for moral damages totaling millions of tenge. The court partially granted these claims but awarded significantly lower amounts: 400 thousand tenge for some victims and 300 thousand tenge each for others.