[Intl-tobacco] Bahrain to ban smoking among children, teens (fwd)

[Robert Weissman]

Bahrain to ban smoking among children, teens
Source: Bahrain Tribune, Tuesday, 7/17/01

Bahrain is to implement a law against smoking by children and adolescents
this year.

Dr Salah Ali, Deputy Director of the Health Education at the Ministry of
Health and Chairman of Bahrain=92s Anti-Smoking Committee, said the law has
been prepared after a lot of discussions between various concerned bodies.

He said this is a significant achievement for the ant-smoking lobby in
Bahrain.  =93We realise that smoking is a major cause for worry among the
children and adolescents. Once the law is in place, we can implement it
with a strong hand,=94 Dr Salah said.

The law, he said, had been framed in co-operation with the Ministry of
Interior, Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of
Housing.

=93Internet cafes, restaurants, Ramadhan tents in hotels and other places
and other commercial establishments are actually encouraging smokers,=94 he
said.  =93They are doing this by not properly displaying the =91No Smoking=
=92
signs in their premises.=94

Dr Salah said secondary school students were at increased risk of becoming
chain smokers. =93A strict law to check them is the need of the hour.=94

Dr Salah said though the problem was acute among boys, girls were in it
too. He said most of those affected were between the age groups of 15 and
17 years. He said despite intense efforts by the anti-smoking lobby, the
prevalence of smoking among the school students has shown an alarming
increase.

=93Bahrain and 40 other countries are signatories to the Week of Resistance
agreement which was signed in Chicago in August last year and we have a
very pro-active approach to tackling the menace,=94 he said.

Dr Salah said the tobacco giants were circumventing the ban on direct
advertising by sponsoring sports events for youngsters and social events
for women. =93This helps them cultivate an image of fun and fitness,=94 he
said. This, he said, was far from the truth.

Dr. Salah said youth and women are the largest target group of tobacco
companies. =93Around 75 per cent of the revenue of tobacco companies is
generated from developing countries,=94 he said. =93Women and smoking has
become one of the essential issues in many countries around the world.=94

He said it was with these issues in mind that Bahrain conducted a survey
in co-operation with the Ministry of Education. =93This covered 50
Government schools in the country and 1,875 students,=94 he said.

Dr Salah said they also needed to create a climate where second-hand smoke
was recognised as an issue of major importance, particularly among
policy-makers, media and local government officials.

=93Mass media campaigns, educational programmes, and partnerships with key
organisations, including non-governmental organisations, the private
sector and UN agencies, should be initiated.=94