A caregiver at a rehabilitation center in Lviv region was prosecuted for assaulting a student with a disability.

The Hordynets District Court of Lviv region has issued a verdict against a teacher from the Lviv Regional Council's "Velykolyubinsky Multipurpose Educational-Rehabilitation Center" (formerly an orphanage) for assaulting a student with a wooden pointer. The court imposed a sentence of community service and prohibited her from working with children for a year.

According to the verdict, which was published in the court register in November 2024, last year, teacher Svitlana Podusivska from the Velykolyubinsky Multipurpose Educational-Rehabilitation Center struck a student several times with a wooden pointer on the head and shoulders during a conflict. The teacher pushed the girl with disabilities onto a sofa and punched her several times in the head, shoulders, and stomach. A video of the assault on the girl was shared on social media, after which the police took up the case.

A criminal case was opened against the orphanage teacher Svitlana Podusivska under part 1 of Article 126 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (beating and torture), since the girl did not sustain bodily injuries. The accused admitted her guilt. The case was reviewed in a simplified manner.

The case was presided over by Judge Angelika Malakhova-Onufer, who examined all the evidence and found Svitlana Podusivska guilty of a criminal offense, imposing a punishment of 100 hours of community service and prohibiting her from holding positions related to the upbringing and education of children for one year. The verdict is still subject to appeal.

It should be noted that the police are also investigating possible physical, sexual, and psychological abuse of the students at the Velykolyubinsky Multipurpose Educational-Rehabilitation Center. The 64-year-old director of the institution, Stepan Mashchak, who led the orphanage for about 20 years, has been suspended from work.