New bill seeks mandatory security cameras in kindergartens

A new bill proposed by an opposition MK seeks to mandate the installation of security cameras in every childcare center and kindergarten attending to children under the age three.

The bill, submitted by Zionist Union MK Itzik Shmuli, has garnered broad support in parliament because of a recent case in which the director of a childcare facility is suspected of abusing a four-month-old baby in her care. Nearly 80 MKs voiced support for the proposed legislation, Channel 2 reported Saturday.

The proposal would require cameras in every facility caring for children up to the age of three, private or public, regardless of the number of toddlers in its care. The cameras would need to record throughout working hours.

Similar bills in the past failed because the cost of CCTV cameras was prohibitive. More advanced technology allows Shmuli’s bill to be implemented at lower costs.

This past year saw the highest number of cases of alleged child abuse by teachers and nurses, according to the Knesset’s Information and Research Center.

Of 80 cases opened in 2015, only four indictments were served, largely on account of the fact that infants cannot testify in court.

“In order to minimize harm to privacy, unlike what happened [in past bills], we propose that the cameras do not broadcast anywhere,” Shmuli told Channel 2. “With no Big Brother, the cameras will document in a closed circuit. Only if there is fear that maltreatment took place, police will be able, pending court approval, to access the recordings and use them in court to get a conviction.”

Shmuli said his proposal would defend the privacy of nurses and teachers, as well as of toddlers and their families.