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Tobacco control at school protects children’s rights
Upholding children’s rights is a clever future investment of a nation. Without strong commitment to protecting them from cigarettes, we would not only be violating their rights but also neglecting their health and depriving them of their dreams and potential. #opinion
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The latest National Health Research in 2018 shows that 9.1 percent of children aged 10 to 18 year are smokers. (JP/Budhi Button)
N
ational Children’s Day, which fell on July 23 always, is a good opportunity to observe how far the state has upheld children’s rights, especially the rights to health and an environment that supports their growth.
One constant threat to children’s health and growth is their exposure to tobacco. Smoking among children and adolescents in the country rises from year to year. The latest National Health Research in 2018 shows that 9.1 percent of children aged 10 to 18 year are smokers. The figure is almost double the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJM) estimate of 5.4 percent in 2019. Additionally, the 2013 Global Youth Tobacco Survey found that 10 to 19 of percent children aged under 10 worldwide have tried smoking various kinds of tobacco.
The early introduction of smoking among children is strongly related to the smoking habits of family members, exemplified by either parents or siblings. The World Health Organization found that more than half (57.3 percent) of children aged 13 to 15 are exposed to tobacco and are used to people smoking in their home environment. This may explain why the prevalence of young smokers has steadily increased over the last few years.
In addition to family members smoking in the home, the school environment has also made children vulnerable to tobacco exposure. About 85 percent of schools, monitored by Lentera Anak Foundation in 2005, were exposed to cigarette advertisements in the surrounding environment.
Efforts to limit smoking at school are stipulated in Education and Culture Ministerial Decree No. 64/2015 on schools as no-smoking areas. The regulation applies not only to schoolchildren but also teachers, employees and everyone within the school environment. The decree requires schools to integrate smoking-related prohibitions in school regulations, reject any form of advertisement, promotion, sponsorship and/or contribution from cigarette companies and/or related organizations, prohibit the sale of cigarettes within the school compound and put up no-smoking signs.
No studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of the decree. As a comparison, a 2006 study in the Netherlands discovered no association between the application of no-smoking areas and students’ smoking habits because the students witnessed their peers, parents, teachers and siblings smoking.
Regional education and culture agencies are supposed to oversee the implementation of the decree in schools, but unfortunately this responsibility does not top their agenda. Furthermore, even if the decree was enforced, cigarette sellers and advertisements are still easily found just outside school compounds.
