ByTOBIAS SIEGAL

Israeli parents protesting over the lack of regulation for early childhood abuse supervision recently launched a series of protests in front of Israeli political parties' leaders ahead of the upcoming Israeli elections on March 23.

The purpose of the protests, according to N12, is to get a better understanding about who among them intends to support a reform that would guarantee supervision laws for preventing cases of abuse directed at infants and toddlers.  Such laws would, for instance, subject daycares and similar frameworks to perform background check on the teaching assistances who are put in charge of taking care of toddlers and infants, and would set other standards for ensuring their safety.    
 

"The struggle is making its way to leaders of the political parties! Who will show their face to the parents? Who will heed their cries?" a Facebook post by the campaign's managers read.

The activists made their way to Tel Aviv on Wednesday evening, gathering outside the homes of Gideon Sa'ar, leader of the New Hope political party, and Merav Michaeli, leader of Israel's Labor Party. 
A video published by the activists outside of Michaeli's house shows the Israeli politician as she comes outside to greet the activists.
 

Michaeli thanked them for "this important struggle," telling them that they are "one million percent right, not 100 percent, but one million percent right."

Reassuring activists that they would have her support, Michaeli promised to carefully read a position paper detailing their demanded reforms.

But while the activists received a pleasant and perhaps unexpected response from Michaeli, that was not the case when they protested outside the house of Sa'ar, who refused to talk to them and reportedly made a complaint with the police over the noise they caused, according to N12.

The case of Rosh Ha’ayin pre-school teacher Carmel Mauda that shocked the country when it first broke out in July of 2019 has left many Israeli parents concerned for the safety of their children over the lack of regulation at daycares for infants. 

Since then, and following several other cases that exposed infants being abused in daycares by the very people who were there to protect them, Israeli parents took the struggle one step ahead, organizing in movements and regularly protesting across the country and calling on the Israeli government to set up standard supervision laws, currently lacking in most frameworks that care for infants and toddlers.