StatesHaryana
Haryana child rights panel bars care homes from linking CCTV to personal phones
The state commission found cameras in several child care institutions wired to staff phones and laptops. It has banned remote access by default and wants compliance reports in 15 days.
Key points
- Child care institutions may no longer connect CCTV systems to personal mobile phones or laptops.
- Footage cannot be photographed, screen-recorded or shared on WhatsApp or social media.
- District officials must file compliance reports within 15 days.
Haryana’s child rights commission has ordered child care institutions across the state to stop linking their CCTV systems to staff members’ personal mobile phones and laptops, after finding that several homes had done exactly that.
The Haryana State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, chaired by Tripti Sheoran, issued the statutory advisory on Thursday under the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005. The commission said such links left live footage of children open to unauthorised remote access.
What the homes must now do
Control of the cameras, the recordings and the passwords must sit with the in-charge of each institution, and shared passwords are banned. Remote access is to be switched off by default. Staff may not photograph monitors, record screens or pass footage around on WhatsApp, social media or any other channel.
Cameras are barred from toilets, bathrooms and changing areas, in line with the Juvenile Justice Model Rules, 2016. Each institution must also keep a register of authorised users, noting the date, purpose and recipient every time footage is pulled out.
The commission said the sole purpose of CCTV surveillance “should be to ensure institutional security and child protection, and not to violate children’s privacy.”
Fifteen days to report back
The Department of Women and Child Development, every deputy commissioner and every district child protection officer has been told to send compliance reports within 15 days. Institutions that break the rules face strict administrative action, the commission said.