Indonesia working on smoke-free campaign in schools

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To tackle the issue of smoking in children and teenagers, the Indonesian government and NGOs are working together to reduce tobacco advertisements and increase the cigarette price.

Citra Demi Karina started the campaign against smoking in campus in 2016 and she has successfully convinced 16 schools to ban smoking.

Now, she is continuing her work to tackle cigarette advertising on the streets near the schools.

Tobacco in bags /CGTN Photo

She believed that tobacco companies use informal language, bright colors and youthful faces in their advertisements to attract the young crowd.

Banners promoting tobacco or smoking are already prohibited in Jakarta but they can still be found in the outskirts of the city, like West Java. And most of them are posted outside of schools.

“We work with street vendors near schools to encourage them to take down cigarette banners. It is part of the Ministry of Education’s new regulation,” she said.

More than 80 percent of tobacco advertisements focus on the low price, which many activists believe is a way to appeal to the younger crowd.

Cigarette advertising boards on street /CGTN Photo

Compared with other countries, a cigarette in Indonesia is quite cheap. Many street vendors sell cigarettes which cost less than 1 US dollar each.

“We are definitely concerned, seeing how cheap cigarettes have made it easier for young people to start smoking. We are currently working with local NGO’s to curb the consumption of cigarettes in the younger generation through increasing the tariffs and making it less affordable,” said Deni Surjantoro from the Directorate General of Customs and Excise.

Indonesia is still working to validate the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Once that is recognized, there will be strict regulations on cigarette pricing, taxation and advertising.