28 Oct 2013

Private companies and institutions that have no relationship with the tobacco industry should support efforts by government and civil society to make Botswana a tobacco-free nation.

Officially opening the ‘I don’t want to be a walking billboard for the tobacco industry’ campaign in Maun recently, the deputy permanent secretary responsible for poverty eradication in the Office of the President (OP), Dr John Mothibi, said the campaign was the third of its kind in Botswana.

He said the campaign was crafted to alert the public and other stakeholders on what constituted tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship and what the laws of Botswana prohibited.

“The campaign will also alert the public of the tobacco industry’s tactics to advertise their lethal products that continuously perpetuate addiction and poverty,” he said.

The campaign was launched in Gaborone by the Minister of Health, Dr John Seakgosing, in April this year while the second one was held in Francistown a few weeks ago. Dr Mothibi pointed out that tobacco use was related to poverty in many countries.

“Recent research by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank has showed that tobacco use is significantly higher among communities living in poverty stricken regions, those with less education, lower levels of wealth and alcohol users,” he said.

He also said there was evidence that the worldwide proliferation of health consequences of tobacco use might be penetrating into populations that had low capacity to protect themselves against diseases related to tobacco use.

“Hence there is a need for policies that target populations and regions with higher tobacco prevalence to combat both poverty and tobacco use simultaneously,” he said. Dr Mothibi said tobacco products had for a long time been accepted as normal consumer products and had not been linked to devastating socio-economic implications.

Risks to health and life caused by tobacco consumption develop over a long time but it can also inflict immediate harm on users and their families, particularly when scarce family resources are spent on tobacco products.

Dr Mothibi stated that Article 13 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control urges countries to prohibit all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. “As a result of this article, many countries, including Botswana, have increased restrictions on tobacco marketing,” he said.

Dr Mothibi explained that this type of stance has led tobacco companies to seek out promotional opportunities to target consumers in hidden advertisements. These include placement of cigarette smoking and tobacco products in films, sponsorship of events and institutions, goodwill donations for community events and advertising of other goods and products bearing cigarette names or brands.

“These actions clearly breed tobacco dependence and use and therefore the public needs to be actively involved in addressing these public health challenges,” he said. Dr Mothibi said Batswana should not allow the tobacco industry to use them and their children to advertise tobacco products. He called for vigilance by parents and guardians not to buy any product bearing any tobacco brand name.

He also acknowledged the work of the anti-tobacco network saying it was a clear indication of the recognition on the importance of partnerships aimed at maximising the meagre resources that Botswana has to develop its people. For his part, Kgosi Oleyo Ledimo, said the campaign was important in tackling pertinent health issues related to tobacco use.

He said most people were not aware that tobacco use harmed the economy of Botswana and as such, they should be educated on the dangers of using tobacco products. “We can only win this war against tobacco use if everyone can play their part,” he stressed.  ENDS