Title:
On World No Tobacco Day, Special Attention Goes to
Women, Girls
Description: This is
a VOA Special English Technology Report.
See text below
Text:
World No Tobacco Day is celebrated each day on May
thirty-first. The observance is meant to bring
attention to the growing use of tobacco and its
deadly effects. The World Health Assembly
established the event in nineteen eighty-seven. This
year, special attention is being given to the
harmful effects of tobacco marketing to women and
girls. The World Health Organization says tobacco
kills nearly five and a half million people a year
-- another victim every six seconds. Tobacco use is
a top cause of deaths worldwide. One billion people
smoke. More than eighty percent of tobacco users
live in low and middle income countries. The W.H.O.
says the tobacco industry has increasingly directed
its marketing campaigns at women and girls. Women
currently represent about twenty percent of smokers.
But tobacco use among girls is increasing. Data
collected from one hundred fifty-one countries show
that about seven percent of young girls now smoke.
That compares with twelve percent of boys. In some
countries, however, the rates are almost equal.
Almost one hundred seventy countries have signed a
treaty called the Framework Convention on Tobacco
Control. The W.H.O. is calling on those governments
to ban tobacco advertising to the fullest extent
possible and to do more to protect women. The
agreement seeks to reduce the demand and supply of
tobacco products. This year marks the fifth
anniversary since the treaty went into effect.
Eighty percent of the signers have banned the sale
of tobacco products to young people. Seventy percent
have required health warnings on tobacco products.
The W.H.O. estimates that tobacco use caused one
hundred million deaths in the twentieth century. If
current rates continue, that number could reach one
billion in this century. Events were held in a
number of countries to mark World No Tobacco Day.
Many of the events were aimed at persuading people,
especially the young, not to start smoking. Others
aimed to educate people about the many health
benefits of quitting. And that's the VOA Special
English Development Report. We have a link to a list
of activities for World No Tobacco Day on our
website, voaspecialenglish.com. And while you're
there, tell us if you have been able to quit
smoking, and what advice you might have for others.
You can also post comments on Facebook at VOA
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Hi. I
personally reviewed this video and found it appropriate for
the news section of English Global Group. This
is a Voice of America video which covers an interesting
topic in Special English. I would appreciate some feedback from both
students and teachers about this video. You can comment in
the window below using any of a number of different services
including Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, and Hotmail.
