World No Tobacco Day: Tobacco industry violates children's rights

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and the NGO Unfairtobacco have published a joint report[1] on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, which will be held on 31 May. The report, entitled “Protecting Children from the Tobacco Industry”, highlights the many ways in which the tobacco industry’s activities harm younger generations around the world. The report also explains how human rights defenders can use international standards and tools to protect young people from the tobacco industry.

Globally, it is estimated that approximately 50 million young adolescents aged 13 to 15 smoke cigarettes or use tobacco products.

The tobacco industry violates children's rights in multiple ways

Child labor is endemic in the tobacco industry. A 2011 report estimated that there were 1.3 million children under the age of 14 working in tobacco fields worldwide. Recent figures are hard to come by, but the International Labor Organization reported in 2023 that child labor was on the rise, despite claims by tobacco companies that they are working to end it. Child labor in tobacco fields violates international law on child labor, their right to education, and their right to health.

The entire life cycle of a cigarette has a detrimental impact on the environment – from tobacco cultivation to consumption to waste management. Cigarette filters are the largest form of waste in the world – 4.5 trillion are discarded each year, leaching toxic chemicals into soil and water. ASH and Unfairtobacco stress that no group is more vulnerable to environmental harm than children, denying them the right to a healthy environment.

Young people are also the main marketing target of tobacco manufacturers. A study[2] published in the journal Tobacco Control in 2023 collected data on cigarette advertising and promotional tactics at points of sale located near schools and playgrounds in 42 countries around the world. The number of points of sale observed ranged from 29 in Nigeria to 2,670 in Vietnam. This targeted advertising is most prevalent in low-income areas. Manufacturers also market many flavored tobacco and nicotine products to appeal to youth. A 2021 study by the Truth Initiative found that nearly three-quarters (72.7 %) of young adults who currently use a tobacco or nicotine product report using a flavored product, compared to just 28.6 % of adults over 65[3].

Tools exist to better protect children from the tobacco industry

Several international human rights mechanisms protect children’s right to health. The most important treaty, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), provides human rights arguments that can be used in advocacy at local, national, regional and international levels. The CRC requires countries that are parties to it to report on their situation with regard to compliance with the elements of this treaty, in particular their actions to respect, protect and fulfil children’s rights. Civil society organisations also have the opportunity to submit reports to the treaty monitoring body on the implementation of the treaty by the country concerned. In 2022, the German Network on Children’s Rights and Tobacco Control, with the support of ASH, submitted several statements to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to complement Germany’s national report.[4]. As a result, for the first time, the Committee issued specific recommendations to strengthen the protection of children from tobacco. The Committee recommended that Germany improve education on the effects of smoking and second-hand smoke, regulate tobacco marketing to children, and hold tobacco manufacturers accountable for child rights violations in supply chains.

There are other treaties that are specific to children's rights. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) concerns specific children, such as African-American children in the United States who have been targeted by tobacco industry menthol advertisements. The Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) concerns girls, whose smoking rates are increasing in many countries.

In addition, environmental treaties, such as the UN treaty to end plastic pollution, which is currently under development, affect all children. This treaty could protect children from tobacco by banning cigarette filters and all single-use plastic tobacco and nicotine products.

ASH, however, reminds us that the most effective way to protect children from the tobacco industry is to end the sale of tobacco and rapidly achieve tobacco-free generations across the world.

©Tobacco Free Generation

AE

[1] Tobacco Companies Violate Children's Human Rights, ASH, published May 21, 2024, accessed May 22, 2024

[2] Brown JL, Rosen D, Carmona MG, et al Spinning a global web: tactics used by Big Tobacco to attract children at tobacco points-of-sale Tobacco Control 2023;32:645-651.

[3] Flavored tobacco use among youth and young adults, Truth Initiative, published June 28, 2021, accessed May 22, 2024

[4] Generation without tobacco, UN Committee Calls on Germany to Better Protect Children from Tobacco, published October 20, 2022, accessed May 22, 2024