Safety @ Home: Should you keep a watch over your nanny?

Many double-income households in Dubai are putting up surveillance cameras to keep an eye on their child’s nanny while they stay out of
their homes on work.

“We hear so many horrific stories about how nannies mistreat children that I’m worried about the safety of my child,” said mother of a 10-month-old. “I wouldn’t say that all nannies are bad, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

With both parents working and many unable to afford childcare, children are left at home with nannies.

“I’ve heard of incidents when some nanny mixed some sedative in the babies’ food so that she slept longer hours. So the nanny was at leisure to do whatever she wanted,” recalled Indian mother Reena (name changed). “Some used to watch TV or talk on the phones for long hours, while the baby was left unattended.”

Even Western expats are advised, on numerous on internet forums, to purchase baby cams to watch their child carers. “Purchase a baby cam from the UK so that you can see what is going on when your child is in the care of the person you bring into your home. If something pops up, you can't use it in a case against the housemaid, but you can threaten her and get rid of her,” wrote member of an expat forum.

Often parents invested in a webcam when they suspected something was amiss, and what they often recorded wasn’t pretty, forcing them to look for alternative househelp. “We weren’t very happy with the nanny and decided to install a camera just to ensure that our child was unharmed. But, what we saw on the camera was shocking. She was eating all the baby food, and was watching TV all the time. We didn’t question her but asked her to leave the next day,” reported mother of
a 6-month-old.

Another Indian professional suspected his child’s nanny of stealing cash, and the webcam only cleared his suspicion. “When I lost money I suspected the nanny, but since I didn’t have any proof, I couldn’t do anything. Later I installed a webcam and left my wallet at home. I sacked her the next day.”

While many parents informed the nannies about being watched, they don’t tell them where the camera is positioned. “It’s just a way of telling them that they are being watched and this should prompt them to behave well,” said a mother.

And, some nannies refused to work under such conditions, and that’s a clear indicator of the good from the bad, reported many parents. “When we told one nanny about the camera, she left within a few days, but the next one didn’t object. And she’s been with us ever since,” recalled mom of 3-year-old Sheila.

Some parents, however, objected to playing Big Brother and felt this exercise was invading an individual’s privacy. “You might start out by keeping a webcam in the living and play area, but what about the other rooms. Surely if you suspect the nanny of mistreating your child then you’d be concerned about how she behaves with them in the other rooms,” argued father of a two-year-old. “If you suspect your nanny then you must get rid of her immediately, merely watching her from
behind the camera isn’t going to solve anything.”

Another said: It is also a question of privacy. You should not install the cameras in her room or washroom. I suppose living areas are fine, but what do you do when she is giving the baby a bath?"

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