Industry stands accused in Indonesia

An anti-tobacco activist has said that young people in Indonesia remain vulnerable to cigarette marketing because tobacco companies frequently sponsor youth sporting events, according to a story in The Jakarta Post.

The head of the education and community empowerment division of the National Commission on Tobacco Control, Fuad Baradja, said the impact of smoking ran in complete opposition to the purpose of sporting activities.

Fuad said Indonesia was one of the countries making the slowest progress in prohibiting the advertisements, promotions, sponsorships and corporate social responsibility activities of cigarette companies, which were aimed at bolstering their public image, with youth as their main target.

Government tobacco-control regulations, which allowed cigarette advertisements, promotions and sponsorships via all types of media in Indonesia, had made children the targets of exploitation by cigarette companies’ marketing activities.

“Children have become a marketing target of the cigarette industry because they are potential consumers that will probably remain tobacco-addicts for life, preserving the existence of the industry,” said Fuad on the sidelines of the Handball Bogor Open in Bogor, West Java, on Saturday.