Lithuanian police have opened an investigation into a serious injury of a 2-year-old girl. The girl was brought to Kaunas clinics during the holidays and was urgently operated on due to severe internal bleeding and multiple injuries.
Her 19-year-old mother and her 22-year-old boyfriend have been detained.
The two-year-old girl was brought to Kaunas Clinics from Raseiniai Hospital on Christmas day, Sunday. She underwent an urgent surgery and is said to be in critical condition.
“Due to the ongoing pre-trial investigation and without parental consent, we are unable to provide any further information,” Ieva Tamulytė, spokeswoman for Kaunas Clinics, commented to the media on Tuesday.
While the cause of the injuries has not been confirmed, the police detained the girl’s mother and her boyfriend.
Prosecutors suspect that the little girl may have been beaten, although various versions are being investigated. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, an expert examination will reveal whether the girl’s mother, aged 19, and her boyfriend, 22, were intoxicated during their detention.
According to Rasa Gelžinytė, spokeswoman for Šiauliai District Prosecutor, no other people are included in the investigation, as the incident happened at home.
“She was hospitalised due to abdominal trauma, but later multiple injuries were found,” Gelžinytė said.
The girl has a twin sister who has been taken by child protection services, she added.
Child protection services say the family has not previously been flagged as problematic.
“We have not been aware of this family,” according to Ilma Skuodienė, director of the Child Rights Protection and Adoption Service.
Five years ago, the case of four-year-old Matukas brought domestic violence against children to the centre of the public debate. The boy was beaten at home in Kėdainiai and later died in hospital.
Candles were lit near the parliament building and MPs brought legislation to reform the child rights protection system.
However, according to the Child Rights Protection and Adoption Service, around 2,500 children in Lithuania suffer from neglect, physical violence, psychological and sexual abuse every year.
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