Title of the Study: The Medico-Social Problems of Working Children

Type of the Study: Research –Evaluation Report ( The research is supported by Meawards)

Authors of the Study: Dr. Gürhan Fişek

Presentation,

Year/Place of Publication: February 1986, Ankara

Language of the Study: Turkish

Number of Pages: 146

Purpose: The aim of the study is to find out and to reveal the medico-social problems and states of the working children(according to the Turkish Labour Code, ones who are under the age of 18) and compare them with the ones attending schools.

Content: In the introduction part child labour in the worls and in Turkey is explained from a historical perspective. Also the national regulations concerning the subject is touched. In the second chapter methodology is discussed. In the third chapter findings are given in detail and briefly outlined. The findings are on; personal properties of the experimentals, working life of the children, nurtition and health status, friendship and vacational activities, their future expectations. Fourth chapter is the discussion one and the fifth chapter is the conclusion one.

Method: The research is based on field survey where indexation and interview methods are used. Experimentals are chosen from 2 different groups within this research that is conducted to reveal the medico-social problems of the working children. The first group consists of children that are fully seperated from the educational life. The second group is chosen as the control group where children are ateending schools. Data of personal properties of the experimentals, working life of the children, ocuupational safety and health knowledge, working conditions, nurtition and health status, friendship and vacational activities, their future expectations are obtained. Working children survey is formed and implemented to be able to make comparisons. Also comparisons are made using different indexation techniques.

Excerpt: In both these educational chains, medico-social organisations should be structured and even if there is one, its capacity should be built. These organisatons should have a health approach where their occupational and living environment with their leisure time are seen as a whole. Therefore, there will be organisations that will take the solution of medico-social problems of the working children as their main priority.

Some keywords: Working children, medico-social problems, apprenticeship training centers, national regulation

Title of the Study: The Medico-Social Problems of Working Children

Type of the Study: Research –Evaluation Report ( The research is supported by Meawards)

Authors of the Study: Dr. Gürhan Fişek

Presentation,

Year/Place of Publication: February 1986, Ankara

Language of the Study: Turkish

Number of Pages: 146

Purpose: The aim of the study is to find out and to reveal the medico-social problems and states of the working children(according to the Turkish Labour Code, ones who are under the age of 18) and compare them with the ones attending schools.

Content: In the introduction part child labour in the worls and in Turkey is explained from a historical perspective. Also the national regulations concerning the subject is touched. In the second chapter methodology is discussed. In the third chapter findings are given in detail and briefly outlined. The findings are on; personal properties of the experimentals, working life of the children, nurtition and health status, friendship and vacational activities, their future expectations. Fourth chapter is the discussion one and the fifth chapter is the conclusion one.

Method: The research is based on field survey where indexation and interview methods are used. Experimentals are chosen from 2 different groups within this research that is conducted to reveal the medico-social problems of the working children. The first group consists of children that are fully seperated from the educational life. The second group is chosen as the control group where children are ateending schools. Data of personal properties of the experimentals, working life of the children, ocuupational safety and health knowledge, working conditions, nurtition and health status, friendship and vacational activities, their future expectations are obtained. Working children survey is formed and implemented to be able to make comparisons. Also comparisons are made using different indexation techniques.

Excerpt: In both these educational chains, medico-social organisations should be structured and even if there is one, its capacity should be built. These organisatons should have a health approach where their occupational and living environment with their leisure time are seen as a whole. Therefore, there will be organisations that will take the solution of medico-social problems of the working children as their main priority.

Some keywords: working children, medico-social problems, national regulation

Fişek, A.G.; “Medico-Social Problems Of The Child Workers Research”, Çalışma Ortamı Magazine, May, Issue No. 8, p. 27-32.

Number of Works Cited: 29

Scope:

The article which takes the situation where there is no alternative as the main reason of full time child labour in the developing countries also gives findings on working children’s profiles and health conditions of child workers employed in the small scale enterprises. In the result part, social policies towards child workers should be revised and new models should be applied. With the inclusion of children, a medico-social organisation which surrounds apprentice education centers and work places are recommended to take place.

An Excerpt from the Article:

When children’s expectations about the future is considered, results worth thinking of and different in terms of educational status, gender and backgrounds are revealed. Girls with the effect of traditional structure are planning to withdraw from the working life. The girls who are under the effect of this thought consists of %71,8 of the girls that are the sample population of this survey. This really effects their future lives very closely. Because they do not want to become a skilled worker. But observations shows that they are forced to return back to the active labour markets because of economic difficulties without any skills. (p.29)

Some Key Words:

diet, apprentice training, child workers, child health, occupational safety and health, medico-social problems

Fişek, A.G.(1996); “The Little Giant Men Of The Working Life”, Sürekli Tıp Eğitimi Magazine, April, Volume: 5, Issue No. 4, p. 116-120.

Number of Works Cited: 9

Scope:

The article is heavily based on the earlier working children researches of A.Gühran Fişek. The societies genereal attitude towards child labour and the conditions of working children are discussed. In the section where reccommendations are given for actions to be taken to be able to pay the fidelity debt to the working children in Turkey, also information about health-social service supply model(Fişek Model)is presented.

An Excerpt from the Article:

According to us the society has a fidelity debt to apprentices. While their coevals study benefiting from public funds and live their childhood; others that had to enter the working life by leaving the school, join the production process actively and moreover loose their child identity and try to play the role of an adult. So, what we should discuss is how are we going to force the society to pay this fidelity debt. (p.116)

Somem Key Words:

working children, fişek model, medico-social problems, social responsibility

Fişek, A.G.(1993); “Children Are Flowers…..What About Apprentices?”, Çalışma Ortamı Magazine, May, Issue No. 8, p. 2-7.

Number of Works Cited: 3

Scope:

In this article the dimensions of the early entry of children into the labour markets is discussed and pointed out that they are working without the protection mechanisms that is required by the contemporary social system. Health problems unique to working children can only be solved with a universal health service web which guards the peculiar problems of the group. The view that making of working conditions of these apprentices more safe and healthy is the most appropriate point of intervention which will provide change in the society is claimed.

An Excerpt from the Article:

In societies where child labour is widely used, children and adults work next to each other and share the same problems. Some facts that are confronted in the work places detoriortes the health conditions of adults as well as the children. For example, the hydro chloric acid which is present at the environment efects adults’ lungs as much as the children’s. This means that these societies are not ready to incline to the subjects which poses a unique risk for children. So, every step taken to protect children in the working life will simultaneously provide benefits to adult workers. (p.3)

Some Key Words:

working children, child health, medico-social problems

Baytemür M.; Fişek A.G.; Koçak A. (1994); “A Research On The Factors Effecting Smoking in the age range of 13-15”, Çalışma Ortamı Magazine, May-June, Issue No. 14, p. 33-38.

Number of Works Cited: –

Scope:

The article is based on a survey conducted in Ankara Ostim Apprentice Training Center where 150 children were questioned in a poll to determine the cigarette addiction . From the survey made to outline the medico-social conditions of the same group, 10 independent variables are selected from the ready social cards of these group. Age-number of cigarettes, age-total amount of years of smoking, age-frequency of smoking, etnicity-smoking, working after school and tendency of smoking, staying out at nights and smoking, best friend’s employment status and smoking relations are revealed.

An Excerpt from the Article:

The research has shown that the tendency to smoke rises as the age increases in the working children group under 15 years of age. This proofs that there is great social risk in the occupational environment that these children work. Because smoking is considered as social determinant for children. (p.37)

Bazı Anahtar Sözcükler:

working children, cigarette addiction in children, medico-social problems