Since World No Tobacco Day 2015, significant progress has been made in the global fight against tobacco. Here are some key highlights from countries in which Vital Strategies is active, during the past 12 months.
Beijing goes smokefree:
A watershed moment for public health in China’s capital, with the introduction of comprehensive smoke-free laws on June 1, 2015. The law bans all indoor smoking in public places, including bars and restaurants.
Tobacco taxes take center stage as a key domestic resource for development:
A meeting of Heads of State and Ministers of Finance in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in July 2015 endorsed tobacco taxes as a key strategy to reduce tobacco consumption and fund development in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. Two months later, the SDGs were adopted at the United Nations General Assembly.
Graphic Health Warnings:
This has been a great year for graphic health warnings on tobacco products. India overcame big tobacco’s legal challenges and implemented graphic warnings covering 85% of packs.
Nine new graphic warnings now cover 50% of tobacco packs in Bangladesh. A Vital Strategies supported campaign, People Behind the Packs, helped to tell the real story of people suffering from tobacco related illnesses, depicted on the new packs. Also, the Philippines enforced graphic warnings covering 50% of the front and back of packs.
Robby became the face of Indonesia’s fight against tobacco:
One June 23rd 2015, 27-year-old Robby lost his battle with tobacco-related cancer. In September, his family helped to tell his heart-breaking story as part of a national anti-tobacco TV campaign.
#SuaraTanpaRokok – Over 40,000 people joined our “Voices Without Smoking” campaign in Indonesia:
Our biggest social media campaign to date, #SuaraTanpaRokok (Voices Without Smoking), reached over 30 million people on Facebook. The campaign moved offline with an event recognizing tobacco victims who participated in a photo contest in Jakarta. Join the campaign on Facebook https://facebook.com/suaratanparokok/
Anti-tobacco TV campaigns reach millions in Bangladesh:
A national TV campaign, “Tobacco is Eating Your Baby Alive” was seen by over 70 million people, encouraging many to quit smoking.
Another national TV campaign in Bangladesh, “Every Bidi/Cigarette Is Causing You Harm” encouraged people who smoke cigarettes and bidis to quit.
“Giving Cigarettes is Giving Harm” in China:
Many people in China give cigarettes as gifts at New Year. This campaign helped significantly reduce the number of people giving tobacco as gifts. It was followed by the campaign “Child”, urging Chinese smokers to quit and protect children from secondhand smoke. China also banned tobacco marketing from mass media, public transport and outdoor areas under a new law.
More campaigns across Asia:
TV campaigns in Cambodia, India and Vietnam warned about the dangers of secondhand smoke, especially to children, while Pakistan aired it’s first national TV campaign “Tobacco Is Hollowing You Out.”
And in Latin America:
Nuevo León, Mexico called on its citizens to stop smoking while “The Disguise is Over” called for tougher restrictions on the marketing of tobacco to youth in Brazil.