Assembly passes bill requiring day care CCTV installation

The National Assembly passed a bill on Thursday obligating all child care centers to install CCTV.

Of 190 lawmakers in attendance, 184 lawmakers voted in favor while six abstained at the plenary session held nearly a month after the bill was rejected in February. The law goes into effect starting September. The parliamentary approval ends months-long debates over child safety and teachers’ privacy and human rights.

“It was a shame the bill was rejected in February,” said Rep. Shin Yee-jin of the ruling Saenuri Party. “I believe the bill will present us with an opportunity to prevent child abuse and improve quality of life for those working at child care centers” she said.

The government will cover the costs of installing the CCTV.

Under the bill, child care centers must install surveillance cameras and keep the recordings for at least 60 days. The footage will only be disclosed when parents and authorities request their disclosure.

The bill also allows child care centers to install Internet-linked cameras to allow parents to check on their children in real time. But Internet cameras can only be installed with the agreement of both parents and teachers.

The bill stipulates the government should make efforts to reduce teachers’ stress and workload by providing counseling services and increasing the child care staff, as their heavy workload has been cited as a cause of child abuse at day care centers.

The bill was pushed earlier this year after a series of child abuse cases outraged the public. Last January, a 33-year-old worker at an Incheon day care center was caught on CCTV beating a 4-year-old for not finishing her meal.

But the bill was rejected by the Assembly in March. Some lawmakers reportedly raised concerns that the CCTV might infringe upon students’ privacy and violate the rights of teachers at child care institutions.

Alongside the bill, lawmakers approved the legislation for banning online media outlets from posting obscene advertisements and pictures on their websites.

Lawmakers also unanimously approved the resolution to send money to Nepal, where a magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck Saturday and claimed thousands of lives. The National Assembly will collect money from staff members and lawmakers to raise $100,000.

By Yeo Jun-suk (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)