Workers find six-year-old girl locked in Dembavė basement

Workers found a six-year-old girl locked in a heating-unit room in a building in Dembavė, Panevėžys district, LRT reported. Police said the girl’s mother had left her there while she cleaned the building’s stairwell.

The incident happened last week at a building on Liepų Street. When workers opened the locked room, they found the girl inside. She did not speak Lithuanian and could not say where she lived or where her mother was, but she was calm and playing on a tablet. The workers called the police.

The mother, who works in the building, soon came to collect her daughter and explained what had happened. Police warned her that leaving a child locked in a room was not acceptable, even if she had intended to keep the girl safe. Child rights specialists were also informed.

Žaneta Ginaitė, head of the Panevėžys district unit of the State Child Rights Protection and Adoption Service, said the girl was unharmed and is now safe with her mother. The service has met with the family, spoken to the child and is gathering information to assess the family’s circumstances and whether support is needed. It had not previously received reports that the family’s environment was unsafe.

Ginaitė said authorities first look for ways to help parents when a family acts carelessly. Depending on the circumstances, the family could be offered social services, including parenting skills programmes provided by the municipality’s family support centre.

Child supervision rules

Child rights specialists urge parents and guardians to put children’s safety first, even when they are busy or have urgent work. If they cannot supervise a child themselves, they should arrange a safe environment and a trusted caregiver. They also caution that places adults consider safe may pose risks to young children, who may explore unfamiliar objects or equipment.

Under the law, children under six must not be left without supervision by someone older than 14 unless there is an objective necessity. An exception allows a child to be left for up to 15 minutes in a safe environment with a seven-to-13-year-old who is mature enough to care for them. Parents must assess individually whether a six-year-old can be left alone, taking into account the child’s maturity and independence, the surroundings and possible risks.

Parents can seek free advice from the Child Rights Helpline at 0 800 10 800 or through the chat service on the child rights service’s website. Anyone concerned that a child is in immediate danger should call 112.