‘Smoking in women, kids rising’

Islamabad : The rise in number of women and child smokers is alarming, reports a network of academic researchers and professionals. It endorsed the increase in taxes on cigarettes and deplored the lobbying being made by multinational companies to reduce taxes.

The network reports that about seven per cent of women smoke, causing a health burden of over Rs615 billion annually to the national exchequer. The government jacked up Federal Excise Duty (FED) on cigarettes in February to discourage the sale of cigarettes, smokers, and boost its revenue which anti-tobacco activists and the civil society appreciated, urging the government to further increase it.

The network reports that studies have shown that the highest proportion of female smokers in Pakistan resides in rural areas (10%) and are less educated (12%).

It reports the highest proportion of female smokers in Pakistan resides in rural areas (10%) and are less educated (12%). 19.5 per cent of women smokers age from 25 to 29 years. Sindh has 34% of women smokers. 58.5 per cent of women smokers lives in rural areas and 71.7 per cent are illiterate. 33.1 per cent are very poor and 78.6 per cent are unemployed. 94.5 per cent of women smokers are married or divorced. 52.7 per cent of women smokers have gone through domestic violence at a stage.

Likewise, more than 1200 children start smoking in Pakistan every day and there are at least 20 million under-aged or minor smokers in the country, where the legal age of smoking is 18 years.

Smoking exposes women and children to numerous health risks, including lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and respiratory infections. These conditions significantly diminish the quality of life and can lead to premature death.