Zero tolerance of child abuse vowed in draft rule

A blacklist recording institutions and individuals who have mistreated infants and young children will be established to better govern the nursery industry, according to draft regulations released by the National Health Commission on July 9.

Violators will be banned from providing childcare services, according to one of the two drafts released by the commission's department of population monitoring and family development to solicit public opinion until Aug 8.

The draft pledges zero tolerance against assaults on minors and seeks to hold violators accountable.

Surveillance and alarm systems at nursery institutions will be required to operate around the clock and achieve full coverage of areas where children might appear.

"Footage should be stored for no less than 90 days and it is forbidden to stop recording, alter or delete video footage for no proper reason," it said.

Meanwhile, all-day health checks of children should be implemented and abnormalities will be reported to custodians in time. If evidence of domestic violence is detected, the institution is required to report it to the police immediately.

The other draft regulation published on the same day is aimed at forming standards for nursery institutions.

The proposed standards require more attention to be paid to children of migrant workers in urban areas.

Each institution should set up separate facilities for dining, sleeping, leisure activities, storage as well as restrooms. The average living space per capita at each institution should be no less than 3 square meters for each child.

According to the standards, a nursery should receive 150 children at most and have at least one security staff member on duty.