Care centres to install surveillance cameras under new regulations

AMMAN — Day and residential care centres across Jordan will have to install cameras inside their premises as a precautionary measure to uncover instances of abuse, according to new regulations.

Published in the Official Gazette on Monday, the instructions are part of efforts to reform the social care sector after 2012, the year in which the BBC aired a documentary featuring children being abused in some special education centres, according to Social Development Ministry Spokesperson Fawaz Ratrout.

Following the documentary, His Majesty King Abdullah paid unannounced visits to several special education centres and issued directives to the government to investigate all facilities providing services to people with disabilities and hold accountable every person involved in violations.

To this end, the Social Development Ministry formed a committee to investigate the alleged violations, which is continuing to examine the situation of orphan and disability care centres across Jordan.

Several centres have been closed down or received warnings since then, while legal action has been taken against staff members found responsible for the violations.

“The safety electronic supervision is only one of the tools we use to protect residents at public, private and voluntary care centres,” Ratrout told The Jordan Times on Wednesday.

Under the new regulations, centres will have one year to install cameras inside and around their premises, but not in private places, such as bathrooms.

Specialised cadres should also be hired to monitor the screens, while employees, visitors and guests should be notified of the presence of the cameras, and their recordings should be kept for no less than two years.

The new instructions also stipulate the formation of a committee at the Social Development Ministry to prepare periodic reports on the recorded violations.

“These measures will most definitely ensure maximum safety of guests, especially those with disabilities,” Ratrout said, noting that 48 cases of abuse in care centres registered in 2012, 2013 and 2014 are being investigated. 

The Jordan Food and Drug Administration also inspects care centres to ensure the meals served there are in line with public health standards, he added.