Unreported World

Indonesia's Tobacco Children (2012x10)

Air date: Nov 09, 2012

Indonesia is in the grip of a smoking epidemic with the proportion of child smokers rising dramatically. And Unreported World reveals how young children are risking their health further by harvesting and processing tobacco bought by one of the UK's biggest cigarette companies. Aggressively targeted by global tobacco giants and with minimal controls on advertising, Indonesia is the world's fastest growing cigarette market. Ninety million people smoke; smoking-related diseases kill 200,000 Indonesians a year and the numbers are rising. In 2011, tobacco companies spent £142 million on advertising in the country. Cigarette adverts are everywhere and the companies also sponsor rock concerts, football and badminton tournaments and cycling events. A senior tobacco industry insider tells Unreported World reporter Jonathan Miller that tobacco giants such as Philip Morris and British American Tobacco have, in his words, been 'milking a cash-cow,' following their takeovers of big Indonesian tobacco firms. He says they aggressively target young adults. Philip Morris has recently confirmed that rapid sales growth in parts of Asia, led by Indonesia, have offset a substantial decline in sales in the west. The firms agree that they target young adults, but the slick, exciting ads seduce children, too. Indonesia's new Health Minister, Dr. Nafsiah Mboi, tells Unreported World that she wants to end what she sees as her government's dependence on the tobacco industry. But it's a difficult job. Tobacco is as crucial to the Indonesian economy as the financial sector is to Britain's. The industry provides ten per cent of national income and 10 million jobs. And, as Unreported World reveals, not all of those 10 million are adults. In Malang, East Java, the team learn that it's not unusual to see children working on farms. But green tobacco is dangerous stuff; toxins are absorbed through the skin and workers can suffer acute nicotine poisoning. Miller sees two