Authorities battle Jenin tattoo parlors

Local authorities in the West Bank city of Jenin have begun a campaign against underground tattoo parlors, which have sprung up illegally at the city's barbershops and which the municipality says pose a serious health risk, the Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported Saturday.

The director of the Health and Environment Department at the Jenin Municipality, Tawfik Abu Abid, said the campaign was launched after many parents complained that their children were getting tattoos at various barbershops in the city, which double as makeshift tattoo parlors.

Abu Abid said the widespread trend, which goes against Palestinian morals and norms, put the health of the city's youth at risk, as the improvised parlors seldom follow hygiene guidelines. The supplies that are used in these establishments do not undergo the necessary health inspection, Abu Abid said, and there is the possibility that the same tattooing needles are used on more than one person.

Moreover, many of those getting tattoos are unaware that the ink that is used may contain poisonous materials, or in fact be the same ink used to paint cars or write.

Abu Abid warned that the health problems go hand in hand with the behavioral changes that tattoos may cause, and asked parents to watch their children and inform the authorities of illegal activities. He added that any business that serves as a tattoo parlor will lose its license.

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