A two-year-old girl has been banned from nursery because staff fear she will ‘frighten’ other children.
Sofya Zakharova from Alatany in Bashkortostan, Russia, was born with a deformed skull.
According to The Metro, her parents, Svetlana and Rasul, were advised they should get their daughter surgery before applying for a place at the day care.
Sofya’s condition, which is currently unknown, means her fingers and toes are also fused together.
Operations for Sofya have been delayed and now experts warn unless she mixes with other children, her development will be affected.
Despite this, the nursery still refuses to let Sofya join.
Her mum explained how she was told, ‘First, you need to arrange an operation so she can go to nursery school like an ordinary child’
Sofya’s grandfather Sergei Mikhailov added, ‘They have such a catastrophe here. They said they would do the operation, but then they were silent about this.’
Sofya’s parents currently live with their parents in a house with no water or heating, because the stove is broken and has gas has been disconnected.
They also say that they don’t get any disability benefits for Sofya.
Fortunately, local charity Rainbow of Goodness is helping the family.
Educational psychologist Ekaterina Belan explained, ‘The sooner she gets the experience of interactions, the easier it will be for her to cope with the condition she lives and grows.
‘The more interaction she gets, the easier it will be for her to accept herself for who she is.’
Prosecutors are now looking into why doctors still haven’t operated on Sofya and the nursery for banning the girl.
The head of the Republic of Bashkorostan, Raidy Khabirov, said, ‘I understand that if it were not for the intervention of the charitable foundation, there would have been no meetings on this and no relocation.
‘It’s already clear that the rights of the child and the parents are violated, and there will now be an appropriate legal assessment.’
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
