A female preschool teacher, who was accused of using sewing needles to "discipline" children at RYB Education New World Kindergarten in Beijing, is being prosecuted, a senior prosecutor confirmed at a press conference held by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) on Tuesday.

The suspect, identified only as Liu from Hebei Province, was detained on Dec. 29 in Chaoyang District after an investigation into alleged child abuse at the Xintiandi branch of RYB Kindergarten.

The child abuse scandal stirred public outrage in late 2017 and prompted an inspection of daycare centers across the country.

Zheng Xinjian, director of the juvenile prosecutions of the SPP, said in addition to working with local authorities, the SPP will assist other major departments in conducting safety checks on RYB-affiliated kindergartens to help the schools establish a routine safety system.

(With inputs from Xinhua, China Daily)