Today, some parents accompany their children to the playground not to play together, but to protect them. The “Rinkos aikštės” investigation reveals not only shocking stories of affected families but also how legal and institutional measures are insufficient to stop a problem that has been ongoing for many years.
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Parents’ complaints repeat year after year
The situation at the playground located between Respublikos and Chemikų streets has been escalating for many years. Periodically, posts from parents of wronged children appear on social networks, where they share their experiences and try to find solutions. Unfortunately, unsuccessfully.
One mother publicly addressed the city community, expressing her concern: “I want to draw parents’ attention to the situation at our children’s playground. For some time now, an adult woman has been coming there who provokes children, encourages older girls to tease the younger ones, and mocks them herself. Because of such behavior, children come home sad, scared, and no longer want to go to the playground. I believe the children’s playground should be a safe place, not a bullying zone.”
Dozens of other parents started a huge discussion, which revealed that the problem is not new – it is a chronic city sore that has been fought for many years.
In a small town, such behavior cannot be hidden; most commenters claimed to know what the matter was about, and some even openly wrote the woman’s name and surname, place of residence, and personal family details. Residents of Kėdainiai shared that the woman’s close relatives have tasted prison bread.
“Oh, I know her, she behaves like she’s not all there, swears in front of children, spits on them, her parents have already called the police for her, but she still comes to that playground with a child and sits there constantly. An adult woman, but behaves worse than those children,” wrote one Kėdainiai resident.
Other witnesses added that the woman not only abuses others herself but also teaches other children how and what to mock, creating a toxic environment where laughter and children’s games should be heard.
She hit a minor child
One of the few parents willing to go all the way and resolve the situation legally is a local man named Balys. His encounter with the mentioned woman began two years ago when his then under-ten-year-old son came home with obvious signs of violence, scared and crying.
“My child was not yet ten years old at the time. He was playing at the playground with other children, including Jarūnė’s nephew, whom she supposedly supervises there. They didn’t share something there; her nephew threw a banana at my child, and mine threw the banana back. Then that child got upset and went to kick my child, and my son just raised his leg to defend himself. That’s all.
And Jarūnė saw this, came over, and slapped my child hard. My child came home crying, with a red cheek,” Balys shared his memories.
The father says he initially could not believe that the abuser was an adult.
“When I was told she was 24 years old, I didn’t believe it. She looks like a 14–15-year-old girl. She is short, petite, with a fairly young face. Maybe that misleads the children; they think she is their peer, so she easily interests them with stories and then starts manipulating,” the man explained.
When he went to the playground, it turned out the woman had already left, but Balys found her sitting nearby in the football arena. When asked about her age, Jarūnė started attacking the child but eventually admitted she was an adult. Balys immediately called the police officers.
The court found her guilty; the woman claimed to regret it
Although the police did not find the woman at the scene, officers recorded the child’s injuries – a reddened cheek. A long and psychologically not so simple process followed. Balys emphasized that for him, it was not about financial compensation but about establishing justice.
“We went to court. The court took place several times. At first, Jarūnė denied her guilt for a long time, calling me a liar. Her mother called me and offered to withdraw the complaint and threatened to sue me for allegedly my child injuring her grandson.
I encouraged her to do so, but eventually, Jarūnė admitted to the investigator that she hit my child, took the blame, and promised not to behave like that anymore. The judge suggested reconciliation, and I agreed on the condition that her guilt would be officially recorded in court and that she would reimburse my legal expenses.
I did not ask for any non-material damages, but I was not going to let her call me and my child liars and get away with it. I wanted that if such situations repeated in the future and parents turned to law enforcement, it would be clear that this was not the first time and that her behavior is recurring,” Balys said.
According to the father, investigators revealed to him that Jarūnė had previously been involved in two pre-trial investigations – one for damaging someone else’s property, the other for harming a minor. However, the investigation into the child’s injury was discontinued due to lack of evidence.
“In my case, the main evidence was my and my child’s testimony. The child had to tell everything to a specialist, a court psychologist. I think other families simply did not want to allow their children such questioning because it is a challenge for a minor. I also had doubts, but my son is psychologically strong enough; he did everything, and only because of that was she found guilty,” the interlocutor said.
She bullies, insults, smokes, and offers to children
Despite the court process, community members say Jarūnė’s behavior has not changed. Balys says he has gathered a lot of information about her behavior over the years at this and other children’s playgrounds.
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“She sits among those children, among teenagers, thirteen- and fourteen-year-olds, sticking to them like a friend. I’ve heard terrible things – that she offers ‘vapes’ to ten- and eleven-year-olds to try. I’m not even talking about constant swearing and teasing of children.
I’ve seen these parents’ complaints on Facebook about four times in two years. Different parents write the same thing, but nothing changes,” the man complained.
According to residents, the woman visits not only the yards on Respublikos Street but also Vytautas Park and other places frequented by children. Parents, tired of institutional inefficiency, have started organizing kind of “watch actions” – if they let their children play and no adults are at the playground, someone comes specifically to sit on a bench preventively so that Jarūnė is afraid to approach.
The accused defends herself, calls everything slander
When “Rinkos aikštė” contacted Jarūnė herself, the woman took a defensive stance. She categorically denied all the accusations made by many parents, claiming that the information spread on social networks is lies and slander.
The woman demanded that the media take measures to delete posts published by private individuals on social networks.
Soon after the conversation, Jarūnė’s friend contacted the editorial office, threatening to turn to law enforcement for alleged violations of personal data and public defamation.
It seems that the person who posted the message on social networks also faced such pressure, and the threat tactic worked – the complaint was eventually deleted from social networks. But the essence of the problem remains – dozens of parents have confirmed the same facts for years, and the fear for children’s safety has not gone away.
Officers’ hands are tied by procedures, parents are reluctant to turn to institutions
The Kėdainiai Police Commissariat, asked about the situation, did not disclose whether it had received reports about the mentioned woman’s behavior at children’s playgrounds. However, it urges parents always to call the emergency number 112, even if the person manages to leave before the police arrive, as this helps accumulate data about systematic violations by the person.
“If a person uses physical violence, threatens, disturbs public order, or otherwise violates legal acts, it is important to provide the police with as accurate information as possible about the time, place, circumstances, and possible witnesses of the incident.
If possible and without violating legal acts, video or audio recordings confirming the circumstances of the incident can be significant.
Each report is evaluated individually, so even in cases when officers arrive and do not find the person, it does not mean the information is not assessed. The more objective data the police have, the more thoroughly they can assess the situation and make appropriate decisions,” say Kėdainiai police officers.
Depending on the established circumstances and the nature of the violation, administrative responsibility may be applied for such behavior as complained about by children’s parents, or, if signs of a criminal offense are found, a pre-trial investigation is initiated.
Žydrė Krivičienė, a representative of the Public Order Department of the Kėdainiai District Municipality, said that their department had not received official complaints about this woman so far. The strangest thing is that even when specialists visit playgrounds, parents remain silent about the adult woman’s antics.
“When visiting playgrounds, not a single father or mother reported a violent or inadequately behaving woman. Parents can contact us during working hours; we always respond and try to arrive at the scene as quickly as possible.
However, we can only reprimand verbally. Only the police can punish for the use of obscene language or offensive behavior,” explained Ž. Krivičienė.
She also added that children’s playgrounds are zones with strict rules: smoking and alcohol consumption are prohibited there.
“Smoking and alcohol consumption are prohibited in children’s playgrounds, and violators can be issued an administrative offense report and fined up to 240 euros.
Parents should always call the police if they notice any violence against children. Until police officers arrive, if it is indeed a violation, it should be documented – filmed or photographed and recorded.
The offender can also be punished for disturbing one child or inappropriate behavior in children’s playgrounds. This also carries fines of up to 240 euros,” says Ž. Krivičienė.
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