Female staff members were served with a formal notice in July and were dismissed the following month for just cause. These individuals have appealed the decision to the Judicial Court of Ponta Delgada, as reported by the daily Açoriano Oriental.
On May 30, it was revealed that the Casa do Povo de Rabo de Peixe, located in the municipality of Ribeira Grande on the island of São Miguel, had filed a criminal complaint against four employees for alleged mistreatment of children aged between 1 and 3 years old.
On July 12, the Azores Social Security announced plans to forward the inspection report of the Rabo de Peixe daycare, where the four employees were being investigated for alleged child mistreatment, to the Public Prosecutor’s Office the following week. This was confirmed by Eduardo Nicolau, president of the Azores Social Security Institute (ISSA), to the Lusa news agency at the time.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating a complaint filed by the institution itself against four of its employees. Parents assert that complaints have existed for years.
Natacha Nunes Costa | 14:41 – 30/05/2025
Meanwhile, parents and the community of Rabo de Peixe initiated a petition in July, which gathered 2,661 signatures addressed to the President of the Regional Government, the management of Casa do Povo de Rabo de Peixe, and the Rabo de Peixe Parish Council. The petition requested the “immediate suspension of the four employees named in the criminal complaint” pending the “process and investigation led by the Public Prosecutor’s Office.”
The document described it as “unacceptable that, in light of such a serious accusation – presented by the employer itself – the employees remain in their roles or in contact with minors.”
“This situation violates the principle of precaution and disrespects the fundamental rights of children and their respective families,” stated the petition.
