World No Tobacco Day is celebrated on May 31 every year to draw attention to the health risks surrounding the use of tobacco. The day encourages people to abstain from tobacco use for a period of 24 hours.
Not surprisingly, the idea has not found all-round support. Tobacco-growers, people in the industry, and a few smokers' groups have questioned what they perceive as a move against their rights to smoke or grow tobacco.
What the day doesn't question, however, is where this tobacco comes from. The video above documents the plight of child workers, some of whom are just eight years old, on Indonesia's tobacco farms. The children work in extremely hazardous conditions and are often forced to drop out of school to help their parents on the farm. Meanwhile, tobacco companies have done nothing to address or alleviate the issue.
Margaret Wurth, children’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch and co-author of the report, said, "Tobacco companies are making money off the backs and the health of Indonesian child workers. Tobacco companies shouldn’t contribute to the use of hazardous child labor through their supply chains.”
Indonesia is the world's fifth largest producer of tobacco with more than 5,00,000 farms and the tobacco from these farms is sold to many local and multinational companies. With an estimated 275 million smokers, India is one of the largest consumers of tobacco in the world.
Below is a short documentary made by the Human Rights Watch about the Indonesian tobacco farms.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!