Minister of Women, Family, Children, and the Elderly Announces Enhanced Security Measures for Private Childcare Facilities
The Minister of Women, Family, Children, and the Elderly, Asma Jebari, announced on Sunday a series of measures to strengthen security and protection for children in private childcare facilities, during the opening of the Annual Forum of Educational Inspectors at the Hammamet Children's Leisure Center.
The ministry has implemented strict procedures for updating the files of directors, educational staff, service agents, and specialized animators whenever there is a change in personnel. Additionally, any occasional activity without prior authorization is prohibited, and the official list of declared participants must be respected. The controls focus on the absence of a criminal record, mental and psychological health, as well as first aid skills. The facilities are also required to never welcome a stranger without informing the competent authorities and to systematically update the information in the childcare facility monitoring system.
The Minister emphasized the importance of protecting children's personal data, prohibiting the dissemination of their images or the revelation of their identity, which is considered a serious violation of their fundamental rights. She highlighted that the case of suspected sexual abuse of a three-year-old child in a private nursery is being closely monitored according to the law.
During the 2024-2025 school year, educational inspectors conducted 19,391 visits to childcare facilities across the country, including 88% in private nurseries and kindergartens. The inspection corps, currently composed of 220 staff members (44 youth and child inspectors and 176 pedagogical assistants), will be reinforced this year with 40 new recruits for inspectors and 20 for pedagogical assistants, in order to consolidate the quality and supervision of the sector.
The forum, held on February 15 and 16, includes the presentation of the 2024-2025 annual report, as well as interactive workshops on new pedagogical guides, care documents, and legislative texts governing the missions of inspectors, as well as the evaluation of educational staff and the allocation of personnel. The participants also discussed procedures for rapid intervention in cases of abuse or sexual exploitation, following a participatory approach that integrates surveillance, notification, initial intervention, and protection.
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