Nursery CCTV policy limits coverage to public areas

Cheong Mei Chi, deputy service director of the Women’s General Association of Macau, recently expressed support for the planned installation of surveillance cameras in nurseries but stressed the importance of clear implementation details to protect privacy.

“Cameras are tools, but trained caregivers are the real key to child safety,” Cheong said.

This statement follows the Social Welfare Bureau’s (IAS) announcement to enforce video surveillance in nurseries starting in the third quarter of 2025.

The plan, developed after a four-month evaluation and consultation with the Personal Data Protection Bureau (DSPDP), aims to enhance child safety while respecting privacy laws for all stakeholders.

The initiative responds to the 2023 death of an infant at Fong Chong Nursery in Taipa. Following the tragedy, the child’s parents launched a public appeal that gathered over 8,000 signatures demanding CCTV surveillance to prevent similar incidents.

IAS president Wilson Hon stated, “With necessary operational adjustments, video surveillance could meet privacy requirements under Macau’s personal data protection laws as well as satisfy parental demands.”

The policy, approved under Permit No. 01/A/2025/DSPDP, restricts cameras to sensitive but public areas such as sleeping and activity zones, explicitly excluding private spaces like bathrooms.

The DSPDP emphasized it will “lawfully balance competing interests” and ensure data security through encryption, access controls, and compliance audits.

Hon acknowledged the challenge of balancing privacy and safety, noting that “complete surveillance-covering the likes of bathrooms-would not be universally accepted.”

To address areas not covered by cameras, he added that “better staffing arrangements could see at least two employees supervising children at any one time.” Nadia Shaw