Govt told to butt out tobacco ads

Erwida Maulia , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 04/17/2008 11:17 AM | National

The National Commission for Child Protection lashed out at the government on Wednesday for "lacking the political will" to protect children from tobacco, and announced a plan to request a judicial review of the 2003 regulation on cigarette control.

Commission secretary general Aris Merdeka Sirait said the government regulation was abusing children's rights by allowing cigarette advertising that encouraged them to smoke.

He also criticized the regulation that did not specify any sanctions for violators.

"We are now collecting evidence and are planning to file it (with to the Supreme Court) perhaps next month. Why does the regulation provide no sanctions for violators?" he said.

Aris spoke to the press on the sidelines of a roundtable meeting on "the protection of children against the threat of cigarettes".

He said the government "had no political will to protect children from tobacco" and "put material benefits from cigarette ads and taxes before the people's health".

He said the commission wanted a total ban on cigarette ads, not the closure of the cigarette industry.

A 2007 study by the commission shows that 91.7 percent of smokers aged between 13 and 15 years were encouraged to smoke after being exposed to various kinds of cigarette ads, including those aired on television, placed on billboards and through sponsored events like sport or music concerts.

Aris said most of the ads were intended for young people instead of adults, with the use of slogans using teenage slang and featuring figures who were well known to teenagers.

The commission also urged the government to ratify the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which includes a comprehensive ban on cigarette advertising, promotion and sponsorship.

Indonesia is one of the few countries globally that has not ratified the convention.

Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari, who gave a keynote speech at the roundtable meeting, said the government's refusal to ratify the FCTC should not be blamed solely on her office.

"I am of course very committed to fighting for children's protection against tobacco threats. But the government's move not to ratify the convention is based on an inter-departmental decision," she said.

"This is difficult as we have to choose between a threat to health and a threat to the economy. Although actually, I believe that health matters relating to tobacco consumption produce economic losses far greater than the state's income from tobacco firms and taxes," Siti said.

She cited the 2006 Global Tobacco Youth Survey, which found six out of every 10 students in Indonesia were exposed to tobacco while at home, while three out of 10 started smoking under the age of 10, and one third of them were smokers.

Siti suggested mothers play a larger role in preventing their children from smoking.

The WHO's 2007 Tobacco Free Initiative reported that tobacco caused 5.4 million deaths in 2006, or one death per 6.5 seconds. This figure was predicted to double by 2020, if current smoking habits continued.

Developing countries are home to 900 million smokers, making up 84 percent of the world's total smokers.

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