Parents' Accounts of Leaving Children at Little Aresha Daycare: Bruises and Locked in Toilet

The Little Aresha daycare, located in Sorosutan, Umbulharjo, Yogyakarta City, went viral after being raided by police last night. The raid occurred due to suspicions of abuse against toddlers entrusted to the facility.

One parent of a toddler, Aldewa (30), from Mergangsan, Yogyakarta City, admitted that his three-year-old child had been placed at the daycare for over six months. He revealed that bruises had been noticed on his child’s right knee about a week ago.

“There was a bruise on the right knee. At the time, I thought it was from falling or being pushed by a friend,” said Aldewa when met in Umbulharjo, Yogyakarta City, on Saturday (25/4/2026).

Additionally, Aldewa admitted that his child often cried every time they were about to head to the daycare. However, he had considered it normal for a three-year-old.

“In the morning when leaving, he always cries. I thought it was normal; young children sometimes get scared or don’t want to go to school yet,” he said.

Regarding the viral abuse allegations, Aldewa admitted difficulty in confirming the actual conditions because his child could not yet speak clearly. Nevertheless, he hoped the suspected abuse case would be thoroughly investigated. He also requested that those proven to have committed violence be prosecuted.

“If I ask if he was hit or not, he says no. But on social media, it’s buzzing that the children were indoctrinated not to say anything,” he said.

“If indeed someone did it, they must be punished. But I believe not everyone is bad,” he added.

Meanwhile, Sri (63), a resident of Kotagede, admitted that her four-year-old grandson had once been locked in the bathroom by a caregiver.

“Then he (grandson) said he was put in the bathroom and locked in the bathroom. ‘I wasn’t allowed to play, not allowed to play. Then I was locked in the bathroom’,” she revealed.

Sri also once saw her grandson’s cheek reddened when picking him up. However, she admitted not knowing the exact cause because the grandson was reluctant to elaborate.

“Oh, no wound, just red (on the cheek). Even when asked, he didn’t want to answer,” she said.

She explained that her grandson had been placed at the daycare for about a year, from morning to evening. All this time, she had no suspicions because the caregivers appeared friendly when meeting in person.

“When meeting, they are very kind, nothing seems off. But I’m really annoyed if that’s true. How could my grandchild be treated like that,” she emphasised.

Previously reported, police raided a childcare facility (daycare) in Umbulharjo, Yogyakarta City, related to suspected abuse against children entrusted there. Police set up a police line at the location and are examining related parties.

The news was shared via the Instagram account @merapi_uncover. In its post, it was mentioned that the daycare location suspected of abuse had been cordoned off with a police line.

“The daycare location is reported to have been cordoned off with a police line (police line) for further investigation purposes. This news is reinforced by recent Google Maps reviews mentioning a raid by the Jogja Police Resort team. Nevertheless, some netizens regret the management’s attitude, which is considered to be covering digital tracks by deleting negative reviews or closing their social media accounts amid the ongoing legal process,” wrote the account as seen by detikJogja on Saturday (25/4/2026).

When contacted for confirmation, the Head of Criminal Investigation at Jogja Police Resort, Kompol Riski Adrian, confirmed the raid.

“It’s true, the Criminal Investigation Unit of Jogja Police Resort just conducted a raid on a childcare facility in the Umbulharjo area yesterday (Friday) afternoon,” said Adrian when contacted by reporters on Saturday (25/4/2026).

Adrian stated that they suspect certain daycare managers committed acts of abuse against the entrusted children. Currently, the case is still under investigation.

“It is strongly suspected of committing a criminal act of treating a child discriminatorily or placing, allowing, involving, or ordering the involvement of a child in situations of improper treatment and neglect or violence against children,” he concluded.