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5月31号是“世界无烟日”，世界卫生组织将今年“世界无烟日”的主题确定为“两性与烟草：关注针对女性的促销行为”。 世卫组织公报指出，现在在一些国家女性吸烟者、特别是吸烟的年轻女孩越来越多。这一趋势着实令人担忧。世卫组织的专家发现，虽然目前女性吸烟者比例并不高，但是烟草行业为了拓展新消费群体，正将女性作为重要的目标。世卫组织“无烟行动”主任贝彻博士表示，虽然现在在全球10多亿烟民当中，女性烟民只有2亿，而且女性烟民在同性别人群中的比例远远低于男性，但烟草企业正在市场营销方面投入巨资吸引女性，这种情况在中低收入国家尤其突出。烟草商用各种宣传方式让女性相信吸烟是时尚和解放的象征，吸烟甚至可以保持苗条的身材。在这种市场战略的影响下，越来越多的年轻女孩开始吸烟。世卫组织此前在151个国家进行的调查显示，有一半国家的女孩与男孩吸烟人数大致相同，在一些国家女孩吸烟的人数甚至要多于男孩。
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Females represent the biggest potential growth market for tobacco products and are being subjected to aggressive campaigns linked to fashion, sports events and entertainment, the World Health Organization said. |
The World Health Organization called on Friday for more action against tobacco advertising that targets women and girls, especially in developing countries.
Females represent the biggest potential growth market for tobacco products and are being subjected to aggressive campaigns linked to fashion, sports events and entertainment, the United Nations agency said.
"The industry's market strategy is having its desired impact," Douglas Bettcher, director of WHO's tobacco free initiative, said at a news briefing. "More and more girls are starting to light up. This is a serious red flag."
Ahead of World No Tobacco Day on Monday, the WHO released its survey on youth smoking.
The report said that out of 151 countries, half reported that as many teenage girls smoke as boys, and even outnumber boys in parts of Latin America, notably Chile, Colombia and Mexico, as well as in Eastern Europe.
Men account for 80 percent of the world's 1 billion smokers, according to the UN agency. Among adults, 40 percent of men smoke, compared to about 9 percent of women.
In large emerging markets such as China and India, 60 percent of men smoke versus 3 to 5 percent of women, leaving an important market to capture, WHO officials said.
"The tobacco industry is spending heavily on seductive advertisements that target women especially in low- and middle-income countries," Bettcher said. "The advertisements try to dupe women in believing that tobacco use is associated with beauty and liberation."
PINK CIGARETTE PACKS
Some 5 million people die every year from tobacco-related heart attacks, strokes and cancers, including 1.5 million women, according to WHO. Another 430,000 adults die annually from exposure to second-hand smoke, two in three of them women.
A WHO treaty in 2003, ratified by 160 countries, recommended imposing a complete ban on advertising, promotion and marketing of tobacco products. Only 26 countries have done so, it said.
More than $13 billion was spent on tobacco advertising and promotion in the United States in 2005, according to the WHO.
In Japan, where rates of male smokers have sharply fallen in recent years, pink packs of cigarettes are aggressively promoted to attract girls, according to the WHO. In Egypt, one maker uses a cigarette pack resembling a perfume container.
"The industry has studied what makes women tick in both the developed and developing countries," said Adepeju Olukoya, of the WHO's gender, women and health department.
Cigarette maker Philip Morris International said in a statement that it does not market to children or use any images or content that might appeal to minors.
"We believe that regulations can strike the right balance between effectively limiting tobacco product marketing and preserving the ability of tobacco companies to communicate with adult smokers," the maker of Marlboro cigarettes added.
The company said it opposed a total ban on tobacco marketing but supported regulations that restrict advertising, including complete bans in some media, such as television and radio.
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(Agencies)
（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）
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