A trial has begun in a child abuse case that sparked national outcry earlier this year. Two nannies stand accused of abusing a one-year-old boy who later died.
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00:00It's been over half a year since this boy, a one-year-old named Kai Kai, died in the
00:05care of two nannies, and now the trial has begun.
00:10The boy was put up for adoption after his father disappeared and his mother was sent
00:14to jail.
00:15An NGO placed him in foster care with the nannies while he waited for a permanent family.
00:20But just four months later, in December of last year, the boy died in the hospital with
00:25severe injuries, including broken bones, fingers without nails, and a fractured skull.
00:32The nannies, who are sisters, are charged with intentionally harming a child resulting
00:37in death, but they have denied the accusations.
00:41As the trial begins, the boy's family argues his injuries speak for themselves.
00:55Family members stood outside the Taipei District Court as the trial got underway, along with
01:10activists and members of the public.
01:13The case drew national attention this spring, prompting activists to call on the government
01:17to revise Taiwan's child care policies, and the health ministry give new guidelines on
01:22foster care.
01:24Social workers protested after one of their colleagues was accused of negligence in the
01:27case, arguing social workers are often scapegoats in these kinds of scandals.
01:33In court, a defense lawyer pointed to the national outcry, accusing prosecutors of manipulating
01:38the public into deciding the nannies were guilty even before they were tried.
01:43But one activist outside the courthouse cautioned the defense to stay fair.
01:54The defense is concerned about the makeup of the judge panel deciding the case.
02:05More than half of them are lay citizens not trained in law.
02:09The system was introduced earlier this year.
02:11In cases involving an intentional crime leading to death, citizen judges join a panel of three
02:16professional judges.
02:18But the nanny's lawyer says citizen judges are not appropriate in this case, suggesting
02:23they could be swayed by public opinion.
02:25But with court proceedings just beginning, the national scandal looks set to stay in
02:30the public eye for some time to come.
02:33Howard Chang and Keynes Coranta for Taiwan Plus.