Since January 2, 2024, smoking has been banned in all college premises in Tunisia. A number of smoking cessation and awareness-raising actions accompany this ban. This measure highlights the significance of defending younger folks and locations of training from smoking, each lively and passive.
It was on the event of World No Tobacco Day, on Might 31, 2023, {that a} constitution for the struggle in opposition to tobacco was signed in Tunisia. The pinnacle of presidency then introduced collectively 9 of her ministers to arrange a multisectoral coordination of the struggle in opposition to tobacco.[1]This included bringing Tunisia into line with the rules of the Framework Conference on Tobacco Management (CCLAT) of the World Well being Group (WHO), and to take concrete measures. With 13,200 deaths attributed to it in 2019, smoking represents 20% of the causes of mortality in Tunisia and weighs on the nation’s financial improvement.
One in all these measures was the topic of a round printed on August 24, 2023. This goals to implement the smoking ban in all college institutions in Tunisia and got here into power on January 2, 2024.[2]. A decree of November 1998 smoking was banned in instructional institutions, however was poorly enforced and allowed areas reserved for people who smoke.
The smoking ban applies to all college premises
The smoking ban applies to all areas of Tunisian universities, each inside and out of doors the premises. Places of work, school rooms, assembly rooms, laboratories, college eating places, in addition to corridors, halls, bogs, gardens and foyers are expressly designated as smoke-free areas. No-smoking indicators should be put in in a visual method and in adequate numbers. Offenders are liable to disciplinary sanctions and to legal sanctions offered for by the law of February 23, 1998Digital cigarettes, using which is nonetheless rising in North Africa, will not be talked about on this measure and look like poorly regulated in Tunisia.[3].
In parallel with this measure to guard college students and college workers from the dangers of passive smoking, consciousness campaigns on the dangers of this publicity to passive smoking and to encourage folks to give up smoking can be deployed. Occasions can be organized by cultural golf equipment on college premises to lift public consciousness. Seminars and scientific occasions, organized in collaboration with faculty and college drugs, ought to relay them.
Universities, locations that must be, as a matter of precept, smoke-free
A examine printed in 2022 indicated that three quarters younger Tunisians had been uncovered to passive smoking, together with in instructional institutions[4]In June 2023, Hatem Bouzaiene, president of the Tunisian Alliance in opposition to Tobacco, indicated that 30 % of minors and 50 % of males are people who smoke, making Tunisia some of the smoking Arab international locations.[5]. Together with all different locations of training, college institutions are nonetheless among the many websites recognized by the decree of November 1998 as having to be smoke-free. Universities are additionally locations of labor and should defend all of their workers, nicely past the lecture rooms.
One of many new options of this measure is to incorporate outside and uncovered areas at universities. The inclusion of outside locations within the scope of the smoking ban is rising in lots of international locations. In France, initiatives municipal have developed lately, significantly round colleges. Based mostly on these native experiences, a generalization of this smoking ban round all colleges has thus been built-in into the brand new Nationwide Tobacco Management Program 2023-2027 (PNLT), printed in November 2023.
Key phrases: Tunisia, universities, smoking ban, passive smoking
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[1] WHO-Japanese Mediterranean Area, Meeting of the ministerial group for tobacco control in Tunisia, accessed January 8, 2024.
[2] Ben Mansour L, Tunisia adopts strict measures to eradicate smoking in universities, Yaluna, printed January 3, 2024, accessed January 8, 2024.
[3] Jirjees F, Dallal Bashi YH, Kharaba Z, Ahmadi Okay, Barakat M, AlObaidi H. Public awareness, prevalence, and regulations for the sale of electronic cigarettes in Arab countries: A narrative review. Tob Induc Dis. 2023 Oct 27;21:143.
[4] Ayedi Y, Harizi C, Skhiri A, Fakhfakh R. Linking Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) data to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC): The case for Tunisia. Tobacco Induced Illnesses. 2022;20(January):7. doi:10.18332/tid/143994.
[5] Smoking: frightening figures for children and adolescents!, Enterprise Information, printed June 2, 2023, accessed January 8, 2024
