Call to protect children from smoking

Lahore : Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) has issued a call to protect children from smoking and all forms of other addictions.

In a virtual programme, Malik Imran Ahmad, country head, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK), told journalists in Lahore and elsewhere that tobacco industry understood the value of engaging celebrities in their promotional tactics to encourage youngsters to initiate smoking.

“In Pakistan celebrities like Fawad Khan, Waseem Akram who are role models for our young generation and are followed by millions are misguided by the tobacco industry for promoting tobacco.

The tobacco industry using celebrity athlete endorsers and the endorsed products may influence product attitudes of being fit.”

He said that in the past, tobacco companies openly paid movie studios and stars to feature their products.

Tobacco and related industries have increasingly preyed on children and adolescents, engaging in advertising tactics like sponsorships and influencer marketing to target them directly that threaten their health.

Khalil Ahmed Dogar, programme manager, Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child, said there were 1.3 billion tobacco users worldwide.

That number would be even larger if tobacco didn’t kill half of its users. Every four seconds, tobacco takes a life. In Pakistan daily 1,200 children start smoking. Decades of the tobacco industry’s deception and devious tactics have hooked generations of users to nicotine and tobacco, driving this global epidemic. No action is being taken by the law enforcement agencies on this unashamed violation, he said.

In Pakistan, cigarettes are available at much cheaper rates as compare to other the South Asian regions.

The World Bank recommends the government increase at least 30 per cent tax on tobacco products yearly to reduce overall consumption of tobacco.

The tax on tobacco products will generate revenue, reduce the burden on health infrastructure and make it difficult for young people to have them.