When there are allegations of abuse at kindergartens, obtaining surveillance footage immediately is vital, but parents and teachers often report that gaining access is difficult, making it impossible to determine the facts, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Yueh-chin (林月琴) said on Dec. 12.
Incidents of alleged abuse at childcare facilities from August to October have highlighted the helplessness parents feel during investigations, Lin said.
Parents are often told during investigations that surveillance equipment is private property or that the information is personal, so to protect the owners’ rights, they are not allowed to access it, she said.
Photo: Lee Wen-hsin, Taipei Times
Lin said that her office held eight meetings with government agencies from March to October, with the conclusion being that parents have the right to petition institutions to provide surveillance footage.
Police can request footage for an investigation, meaning a complaint must be filed, she said, adding that the probe must be an administrative one, not criminal.
Parents can accompany officers to a school to review the footage, Lin said.
K-12 Education Administration employee Wang Yi-ting (王怡婷) said that the Ministry of Education on Oct. 29 issued an administrative directive to all local governments stipulating that footage from surveillance cameras is considered substantial evidence for the duration of administrative investigations into alleged child abuse or sexual harassment.
The directive says Article 46 of the Administrative Procedure Act (行政程序法) stipulates that parents of alleged victims are entitled to review surveillance footage, provided that the information does not affect public security, Wang said.
The ministry is amending the Act on Investigations and Handling Legal Infringements for Preschool Educators (教保相關人員違法事件調查處理辦法) to require that parents of alleged victims receive a copy of the investigative report, Wang said.
The ministry would look into measures to ensure local governments adhere to the 15-day process to retrieve surveillance footage from facilities, Wang said, adding that , the process can be extended to 45 days.
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