22 November 2016:
Jakarta (ANTARA News) – Under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), 20 Indonesian young innovators from 17 districts/cities committed themselves to campaign against cigarette smoking.
The campaign is being waged under the guidance of an organization named Lentera Anak.
“The focus in the future will be to ensure that Pandeglang (West Java), Mataram (West Nusa Tenggara), Padang (West Sumatra) and Samarinda (East Kalimantan) become free of cigarette advertisements,” Lentera Anak chairperson Lisda Sundari said during a visit to the ANTARA News Agency offices here on Monday.
She disclosed that young innovators continuously monitor the commercial campaigns promoting cigarettes in their area. These advertisements make children and teenagers vulnerable to this bad habit.
According to Lisda, the cigarette industry in Indonesia is still free to release commercial ads in the country. Indonesia has been very flexible in allowing cigarette advertising.
“The monitoring of cigarette ads has shown that the ads are targeted at children and teenagers because the tobacco industry wants them to join the ranks of new smokers. The commercial ads use attractive catch phrases and are displayed close to schools to attract children,” she noted.
ANTARAs chief editor Aat Surya Safaat underscored the importance of young innovators building relations with mass media.
“Mass media can help the campaign being undertaken by the young innovators,” he added.
Aat said the Antara news agency always supports all efforts undertaken by the FCTC young innovators to campaign against the threat that cigarettes pose to children and teenagers.
