Babysitting camera proposal will hurt workers: panel

• Rachel Lin and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter with staff writer

A childcare group yesterday urged the Government not to take action to upload nursery school CCTV footage to the internet for public access, saying the policy could trigger a strike.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare has held three public hearings on the proposed measure, and each has drawn opposition from the industry, said Chiang Shuzhong (蔣叔融), chairman of the China United General Association for Maternal, Infant and Child Education.

Increasing the number of trained workers and allowing parents to spend more time with their children would be more effective in improving the quality of care than policies that cast suspicion on caregivers, Chiang said.

Photo courtesy of China United General Association for Maternal, Infant and Child Education

In 2018, the industry voluntarily introduced cameras to help prevent child abuse and protect its facilities from unfounded allegations, and the centers have operated transparently since then, he said.

Cameras are not a panacea for keeping children safe, as the images displayed on the screen can be ambiguous and open to interpretation, Chiang said.

He said slapping babies lightly to lull them to sleep or help expel phlegm could be mistaken for punches, adding that even the most passionate caregivers could quit their jobs after false accusations.

Kindergartens already have problems with frivolous requests from parents to watch footage after their child falls, fights with classmates or gets bitten by mosquitoes, Chiang said.

Child care is done by people who are passionate about caring for them, not surveillance cameras, he said, adding that workers in the industry often cannot see their own children because of long shifts.

He said the government is being called on to implement a policy that would allow parents with children under two to return home earlier for family time, which would ease the pressure on care centres.

Child care workers should have a four-day work week, leaving one work day for parents to spend time with their children, Chiang said.

Regulations on the use of surveillance cameras should be changed to reduce unreasonable demands to view the footage, which is one of the main reasons cited by workers leaving the field, he said.