International Labor Organization said that last year, it affected the output of some 1,600 children from hazardous child labor.
Working side by side with government agencies and non-governmental organizations, which have their hearts in the welfare of children, the ILO has also helped to provide appropriate educational opportunities for disadvantaged children. ILO also recommended the removal of the worst forms of child labor, children working on tobacco farms.
It would be remiss on our part not to mention here that the ILO did a wonderful job of helping to reduce or prevent child labor in the tobacco farms. In fact, treatment and processing of tobacco leaves are just as harmful to health as smoking any tobacco preparation, including cigarettes and tobacco. Thus, children who work in tobacco farms, sometimes with their parents threaten their lives. They must be saved.
Doctors say the health complications emanating from tobacco farming, processing and consumption are the sources of infection of the respiratory tract, which take a lot of lives in this country. As if it is not critical enough, smokers are often respiratory problems to nonsmokers around them through the so-called passive smoking. It is common to see smokers puffing in public places in Dar es Salaam.
Some of the most notorious criminals often blow into buses, hospitals, libraries, restaurants, bars, banks, government agencies, and sometimes in front of the signs that prohibit habits. Many smokers know that puffing in public or crowded places is illegal and punishable. But most of these brave souls who could not care less harm other people.
But there is another ulcer, which is even more disturbing - there is no law that prohibits the manufacture of cigarettes in this country. In fact, the population of smokers in Tanzania is so large that cigarettes are money counters.
However, the government made a rule to have a warning note posted on each cigarette advertisement saying it was determined that “smoking is dangerous to your health.” The same ad appears on cigarette packages and is designed to alert smokers and potential smokers from the habit. But the ad does not seem to have much influence on the brotherhood of smokers. Whatever, the case, the government must stop the rot.
