The Installation of Cameras for the Protection of Infants in Day Care Centers Law

The Installation of Cameras for the Protection of Infants in Day Care Centers Law in Israel, is a law enacted in 2018, primarily mandating the installation of cameras in day care centers for children aged 0–3. The law aims to prevent violence by caregivers towards infants, thereby protecting their mental and physical well-being. It was legislated in response to incidents of violence towards infants by caregivers in day care centers, which led to widespread parental protests across the country and the promotion of the law.

History
The Compulsory Education Law, which came into effect in 1949, applies to children aged three and above in Israel. Due to an increase in birth rates between 2000 and 2018, many educational frameworks for children from birth to three years old were established, in addition to those under the supervision of the Ministry of Labor, Welfare, and Social Services, which are not fully monitored by the state. In 1965, the "Supervision of Day Care Centers Law" was legislated, focusing on supervision over day care centers housing vulnerable individuals such as children, the elderly, physically disabled, or mentally challenged individuals. This law stated that every infant day care center hosting two or more children must be supervised. In 2018, a new law was enacted regarding day care centers for infants, stating: "Any person operating or seeking to operate a day care center for infants intended for the stay of seven infants or more is required to have a permanent or temporary operating license, as applicable, which must be requested from the official responsible for implementing the law."

The law was led by MK Yifat Shasha-Biton and MK Karin Elharar following incidents of abuse by caregivers towards infants that were documented and published. The law was approved by the Knesset on December 24, 2018, with most of its provisions set to commence on September 1, 2019, and the commencement of sections 9, 12(1), and 13 set for September 1, 2020.

In the summer of 2020, the Minister of Welfare Itzik Shmuli and the Minister of Justice Avi Nissenkorn announced their commitment to the immediate implementation of the law.

Main provisions
The law requires every day care center hosting seven children or more, from birth to three years old, to install cameras throughout the building to record all activities during operating hours through video footage without sound, and to add signs informing the surroundings of this. According to the law, cameras are to be installed in every space where the infants stay, except for restrooms and bathing areas, to protect the privacy of both the caregivers and the infants. Video recordings will be stored for a period of 30 days and then deleted, except for exceptions granted by the committee responsible for the law.

In cases of suspected mental or physical harm to infants or to prevent such harm, access to the recordings will be granted to the day care inspector, the head of the department for day care and early childhood family centers at the ministry, and the Israel Police, or another entity by court order. The installation of cameras in a day care located in a private residence or within a medical institution is excluded, as well as in cases where at least 70% of the infants' parents oppose in writing the installation of cameras. The law calls for financial support from the state for the installation of cameras. It emphasizes that this law does not exempt from the duty to report, whereby an adult or educator aware of abuse against a minor is obligated to report it to the authorities.