This year’s observance of World No Tobacco Day focuses on “Gender and tobacco, with an emphasis on marketing to women”.
Although fewer than 1 out of 10 women are smokers, that still adds up to an estimated 200 million women around the world. Moreover, that number could grow, since the tobacco industry is spending heavily on advertisements that target women and associate tobacco use with beauty and liberation.
According to a recent study by the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of girls and boys who smoked was about equal in half the 151 countries surveyed. This finding is even more worrisome since young people who smoke are likely to continue in adulthood.
Evidence indicates that the prevalence rate of tobacco use among women is on the rise in some countries. Governments everywhere must take action to protect women from tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, as stipulated in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
The Convention also calls on Governments to protect women from second-hand tobacco smoke — especially in countries where women feel powerless to protect themselves and their children. As WHO data show, of the 430,000 adults who die each year from second-hand smoke, nearly two thirds are women.
Around the world, more than 1.5 million women die each year from tobacco use. Most of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Without concerted action, that number could rise to 2.5 million women by the year 2030.
We must turn back the global tobacco epidemic. On World No Tobacco Day, I urge all Governments to address this public health threat. Tobacco use is not stylish or empowering. It is ugly and deadly.
今年紀念世界無菸日關注“性別與菸草——強調女性消費市場”。
雖然只有不到十個女人中有1吸菸者,仍有2億名婦女在世界各地。此外,這一數字還有可能增長,由於菸草企業花巨資製作針對女性的廣告,將菸草與美麗和解放。
根據最近的一項研究由世界衛生組織(世衛組織),女孩和男孩的數量大約相等的抽一半接受調查的151個國家。這個發現更令人擔憂,因為年輕人在成年後很可能繼續吸菸。
證據表明,菸草使用女性的流行率在一些國家正在上升。各國政府必須採取行動來保護婦女免受菸草廣告、促銷和贊助,規定在《世界衛生組織菸草控制框架公約》。
公約還呼籲各國政府保護婦女免受二手菸草煙霧的國家——尤其是婦女感覺無力保護自己和子女。世界衛生組織的數據顯示,每年有430000成年人死於二手菸,近三分之二為婦女。
在全世界範圍內,每年有超過150萬婦女死於菸草使用。其中大多數死亡發生在低收入和中等收入國家。沒有採取協調一致的行動,這一數字可能升至250萬名婦女2030年投入使用。
我們必須扭轉全球菸草流行。在世界無菸日,我敦促各國政府解決這一公共衛生威脅。菸草使用是不時尚也不強身。它是醜陋的和致命的。