WALK-THROUGH SURVEYS FOR CHILD LABOR

Child labor is increasing in both developing and developed countries. Walk-through surveys were used to identify children, aged 8-15 years, working in six sites in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, the largest cities in Israel. Of the 45 children who were interviewed, 20 were Jewish Israel i born, 19 were recent Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union, and six were Arabs from Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. The majority of chi ldren were either too young for employment, according to the Israeli C hild Labor Laws, and/or receiving less than the legal minimum wage. Ma ny were performing physical labor that might be expected to interfere with normal growth and development. Many of the children had visible s igns of impaired physical health. Some were subjected to physical and/ or verbal abuse. Walk-through surveys are recommended as a tool for ro utine use for surveillance of hazardous working conditions, case-findi ng, and evaluating the efficacy of preventive measures. The World Heal th Organization recommendations are emphasized to eliminate hazardous working conditions and to provide on-the-job health and social service s to working children. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.