Indonesia: Tobacco industry's excessive leeway is killing
18 May 2020
Par: chef-projet@dnf.asso.fr
Dernière mise à jour: 18 May 2020
Temps de lecture: 3 minutes
Indonesia is the only country on the Asian continent that has not yet signed or ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, despite being one of the drafting countries at the beginning of the millennium. Nearly 20 years later, it is clear that this position is ineffective in the fight against tobacco use, as the prevalence of smoking among those over 15 is the highest in the world, according to a 2018 Indonesian survey.[1].
In a May 12 article, the Jakarta Post called Indonesia a "paradise for tobacco companies." The newspaper mainly denounced the tobacco industry's tactics.[2] specifically targeting children and adolescents and can only note with regret the 2-point increase in smoking prevalence among 10-18 year-olds between 2013, when it stood at 7.2%, and 2018, when it now stands at 9.1%. In this age group, one in 10 children smokes. This prevalence can be explained not only by the aesthetics and the arguments of the commercial messages, but also by the choice of channels for broadcasting tobacco advertising, which make it almost impossible to protect the youngest from the incitement to smoke.
Faced with this sad observation, it is worth remembering that Indonesian civil society is mobilizing, as demonstrated by the letter sent by 40 associations to President Widodo at the beginning of April.[3]. However, the test[4] d'Ansyori, Thabrany and Yuliyanti note that in the face of the entrenchment of the tobacco industry in Indonesia, anti-smoking actions remain insufficient to reverse the trend. Indeed, both manufacturers and the government continue to argue that the economic benefits are essential to justify the absence of more restrictive control measures.
This is a very irrelevant argument when we consider that the economic losses linked to the treatment of pathologies induced by smoking represent 3 or even 4 times the profits made by the sale of tobacco, according to a study conducted in 2017 under the aegis of the Ministry of Health.[5].
[1] http://kesmas.kemkes.go.id/assets/upload/dir_519d41d8cd98f00/files/Hasil-riskesdas-2018_1274.pdf
[2] https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2020/05/12/indonesia-fails-in-tobacco-control-measures.html
[3] “Letter to the President of Indonesia, Mr. Joko WIDODO”: https://www.generationsanstabac.org/actualites/lettre-au-president-de-lindonesie-m-joko-widodo/
[4] https://pmac2019.com/uploads/poster/A204-AHMADANSYORI-2e0a.pdf
