subject: Give Children A Smoke-free Environment For Growth [print this page] Before the day of Children's Day, it is the World No-Smoking Day. People should take this as a special reminder that adults are responsible to give children a green, no-smoking and healthy environment. It is an indisputable fact that tobacco is harmful to health. Youngsters are at the period of development and growth, the function of body has to be matured, they are subjected to more serious harassment and harm when exposed to secondhand smoke environment. Survey shows that about 180 million children are currently suffering from passive smoking in China.
Government has the responsibility to create a healthy and good growth environment for our young people, taking them away from the dangers of tobacco. Since the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control adopted, China has successively promulgated Law of Tobacco Monopoly, Law of protection Minors and Public health management, in which expressly bans on selling tobacco to minors, smoking in public places and dissuading young people smoking. Besides, many local governments also enact anti-smoking regulations in public places and establish smoke-free places, smoke-free units, smoke-free city. Theory of Tobacco Control has translated into practical action in China, which is a pleasing change but need further development as a social practice.
However, the practice is not satisfactory. Punishment does not act or the intensity is too weak. Some operators sell tobacco with low prices regardless of the legal and moral constraints. It needs to strengthen law enforcement and management cut off the channels of tobacco harm to young people.
Parents should take the responsibility and have the desire for childrens healthy growth, but according to statistics, 44% of young people undergo passive smoking at home. Governments strongly advocate and promote the ban on smoking in public places and workplaces, but legal regulation on smoking at home is a gap. Non-smoking in the family relies on the conscious from parents.
Many parents try their best to give children healthy foods, create good living conditions for children. However, please bow your head to look if your hands are clamping cigarettes? If so, you trap the children into the unhealthy environment, make them lose at the starting line on healthy.
