14 DAY TRIAL // A daycare in Livermore, in Alameda County, California has been closed down over arrests for extensive, abusive swaddling.
Two sisters who own the child care facility have been charged for child abuse in swaddling the babies.
They were reportedly wrapping them up very tightly, to the point where their movement was completely restricted and they were almost unable to breathe.
“This was not a case of mere swaddling, [...] but a case of abuse and neglect where the victims were being restrained,” a spokesperson for the local police clarifies.
35-year-old Nazila Sharaf and 33-year-old Lida Sharaf have been detained on seven counts for neglect and abuse, with four of the charges being misdemeanors.
The sisters managed the Universal Preschool LCC in Livermore, and they were reported by a former employee.
According to San Francisco Gate, they have swaddled seven infants between 7 and 11 months old.
Livermore Officer Steve Goard adds that the three boys and four girls were restrained during nap time, a practice which only suits babies up to 6 months old.
“They basically restrained these children, almost like a boa constrictor. All of these children could have died in the process of binding these extremities,” Goard clarifies.
The complaint filed against them also mentions that they have, at times, covered up the babies' faces to prevent them from crying.
“Two of the daycare facility employees were binding at least seven of the children's upper torso and legs with blankets and other cloth type materials in order to restrict the child's movement during naptimes.
“The suspects tightly wrapped the victims with blankets and other cloth material, which were secured with knots.
“The tightly wrapped cloth material restricted the victim's ability to breathe comfortably and move their extremities,” the police have said in a statement conveyed by the Christian Post.