Estonia plans to add photos to records of people barred from working with children

Estonia's Ministry of Justice has sent for approval a draft law that would show document-style photos in the national criminal records database for people who are barred from working with children. The aim is to better protect children from sexual and other dangerous offenders. The law is planned to enter into force on 1 June 2030.

The restriction applies to people who have committed a contact sexual offense against a child, such as rape.

Why a photo is needed

A photo would help employers, a child's legal representative and the Social Insurance Board confirm that a query result concerns the right person. This matters, for example, when a parent hires a private tutor and finds the tutor's personal identification code from public sources. It also helps when a job applicant gives a personal identification code but shows no identity document.

Automatic checks

At present, employers must check at least once a year whether a person working with children has such a restriction. Under the draft, the system would instead check automatically once a month, with the check linked to the employment register; employers would need to indicate which employees have direct contact with children. The employer would receive a simple yes-or-no answer. If a restriction is found, the Social Insurance Board would also be notified and would verify that the employer has complied.

A person working with children is someone whose job or activity involves direct contact with them, such as teachers, coaches and kindergarten staff. Shop assistants and regular city bus drivers are generally not included, while school or excursion bus drivers may be. The employer makes the final assessment.

The draft notes that in practice, people with such a restriction have ended up working as school janitors or bus drivers.

The database stays non-public

The ministry cites studies indicating that public sex-offender registries have not reduced repeat offenses, although some suggest they may lower the risk of first-time offenses. Adding photos does not make the database public: queries can still be made only by those named in the law, namely employers, institutions issuing licenses for work with children, and children's legal representatives.