New law to regulate baby care facilities

A new law to criminalise unlicensed nurseries and babysitters is in the works, as it emerged on Tuesday that a babysitter has four abuse charges against her.

The law has been in the works since October 2022, with the legal commissioner Louiza Zannetou and the social welfare services working on it.

The bill will be an umbrella law that will replace a law that has not been updated since 1959.

According to Zannetou, who made statements to daily Politis, the law will regulate, among other things, the licencing and control of nurseries and the profession of home childcare workers.

Under the new legal framework, registers of approved childcare centres and home childcare providers will be kept and published.

In the new draft bill, it is stipulated that those found to be operating without the licencing could face criminal charges and convictions.

Earlier, it was revealed that there are four cases against a babysitter earlier suspected of abusing children in three instances.

The parents in this instance in 2022 filed a police report, but did not go to give testimony, after the woman claimed the child had fallen from the chair and been bruised and scratched.