Heated debate greets proposal for CCTV at day care centers

Following a series of child abuse cases at day care centers, the debate is intensifying over whether the government’s recently announced countermeasure ― installing surveillance cameras at all children’s institutions nationwide ― will be an effective deterrent.

“Surveillance cameras can’t solve everything,” said scholar Yoon Deok-gyeong from the Korean Women’s Development Institute.

“What if abusers take the child to a place where no cameras are installed? To bring about a fundamental change, we need to hire fully qualified individuals at our day care centers. And for that, we need quality jobs with good working conditions.”

According to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, day care workers earned an average of 1.12 million won ($1,030) a month in 2013, while working as much as 10 hours a day.

Among the 1,634 workers surveyed by NHRCK, 60 percent said they did not get lunch breaks, while 40.6 percent said they were stressed because of the workload. Under the current system organized by the Welfare Ministry, a single worker may be asked to care for as many as 20 children aged 4 or older.

“Educated and qualified workers don’t want to be overworked or underpaid,” said Yoon. “You can’t expect day care workers to do a good job without paying them enough.”

Nationwide concern about child abuse by child care workers has erupted after a 33-year-old worker at an Incheon day cancer center was caught on CCTV footage beating a 4-year-old for not finishing her meal.

A subsequent investigation found further abuses by the worker and a court issued an arrest warrant for her on Saturday.

Following the controversial case, Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency said it had booked three teachers at an English-language kindergarten in Bucheon on suspicion of mistreating children.

Meanwhile, in Goseong, South Gyeongsang Province, the police discovered through CCTV footage that a child had been forced by day care staff to eat food that had fallen on the floor.

Hong Seong-bo from the child care division of the Seoul Metropolitan Government said having CCTV cameras installed was better than having no surveillance system at all. According to Hong, about 70 percent of day care centers run by the government in Seoul currently have cameras installed.

“The cameras still give them a sense that they are being watched by someone else,” he told The Korea Herald. “It motivates the workers to be more careful with children.”

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)