Grieving parents present 8,000 signatures in petition calling for nursery surveillance

The parents of the three-month-old who passed away at Taipa Fong Chong Nursery almost a month ago have presented 8,000 signatures to the government, demanding surveillance camera in nurseries.

Civil servant unionist lawmakers José Pereira Coutinho and Che Sai Wang helped submit the petition.

Currently, surveillance cameras are permitted in public areas but not in nursery care rooms, pursuant to a 2014 directive from the Personal Data Protection Office (GPDP). The Office cited privacy as the reason behind the ban.

Although investigations are still ongoing, the mother of the deceased child told local media that she could not accept not knowing details of the incident after nearly a month had transpired. She expressed her wish that the government would “release the truth” sooner.

She pointed out that she had sent her late infant to the nursery with confidence in the professionalism and safety of the facility. This confidence was grounded in the fact that not all facilities in Macau accept infants of that age. The nursery’s decision to accept a three-month-old infant was the basis of her trust, and she highlighted that she was unable to accept her baby passing away without understanding the cause or reason.

Coutinho regards current situation as unacceptable

The lack of surveillance in activity areas and napping rooms in local nurseries is raising concerns among local parents, lawmakers said in a statement.

Coutinho and Che said that they had accompanied the parents of the deceased infant to meet with the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) to seek an explanation for the incident.

The lawmakers have also pointed out on the sidelines of the submission that the city had witnessed several cases of physical abuse in nurseries.

Coutinho and Che also said that the parents have requested the installation of smart surveillance cameras and cloud storage across private and public nurseries across all areas, to allow both parents and operators to have access to footage to ensure the wellness and safety of infants.

They also called for the GPDP to strike a balance between personal privacy and the safety of infants.

Coincidentally, in Hong Kong, entertainer Ella Koon recently asked about the presence of surveillance cameras in classrooms while seeking out extracurricular activities for her daughter. According to several Hong Kong media outlets, the entertainer is concerned about classroom sex offences.