Jordan nursery director jailed after shocking child abuse video

The director of a nursery in Jordan's capital Amman was detained pending investigation on Sunday after a video of child being abused went viral on social media, lawyer Mohammed Nazmi said.

The video showed a toddler being locked outside the nursery all day for three consecutive days, as the director sought to punish the child for crying.

The mother of the 17-month-old toddler told local media that her daughter had joined the nursery only five days before the video emerged.

"I noticed my daughter seemed exhausted every day after coming home from the nursery," she said on Monday, according to al-Wakaai website.

"The video shocked me and my husband," she added.

"I could not imagine that my daughter would be subjected to this type of violence."

Residents living opposite the nursery shot the video and called child protection after the director ignored their pleas for mercy on the child.

The video went viral on social media - provoking outrage among Jordanian parents - who called for the director of the nursery to be put to trial.

"My mind would not rest after I saw the child crying over the punishment until I heard that the director is now behind bars pending investigations," one user said.

Another user called for the nursery to be shut down temporarily and urged the child's parents to submit a formal complaint.

Others called for installing CCTV in nurseries as a requirement for obtaining a license, with the option of allowing parents to watch the footage remotely.

The shocking video also renewed calls for providing nurseries at workplaces to allow mothers to watch their children closely without compromising their jobs.

"I chose this nursery because it was close to work," the toddler's mother said.