New Database Will Help Prevent Childhood Injuries

The Knesset has allocated NIS 10 million for the development of new efforts to ensure the safety of children. The money will be allocated to the Health Ministry, which will use it to develop a curriculum, train teachers and professionals, and produce materials that will emphasize the importance of safety, and how children can avoid getting hurt.

In addition, the money will be used to develop a database of information about accidents that children are involved in — how they occur, under what circumstances, and what injuries emerge from them. The database will be used to research ways to prevent accidents, the Ministry said.

According to the Beterem organization, which helps treat injured children, 2016 was a particularly difficult year for child safety efforts. A total of 106 children were killed in road and other accidents, while seven children died when they were forgotten inside vehicles. In 2015, only one child died under such circumstances. The number of injuries from accidents at home, in school and in playgrounds was also significantly higher, Beterem said. The organization will work with the Ministry on developing the curriculum and materials, it said.