BACKGROUND AND IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES: As per Section 6 of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 (COTPA), there is a ban on the sale of tobacco to and by minors and sale of tobacco products is prohibited in an area within a radius of 100 yards of any educational institutions and mandatory signage in this regard should be displayed prominently near the main gate and on the boundary wall of the school/institute. Under COTPA Rules, tobacco advertising, promotion and product display is banned at the point of sale.
INTERVENTION OR RESPONSE: Voluntary Health Association of India & Consumer Voice conducted a Tiny Targets study across India - 243 schools, 487 points of sale, and 20 cities across 6 states of India to assess COTPA compliance near educational institutions and to expose tobacco industry tactics which target children. Field investigators were trained and equipped with a mobile reporting form to document instances of tobacco companies advertising, selling, displaying, or incentivizing the sale of tobacco products within a 100-meter radius on their smart phones.
RESULTS AND IMPACT: 225 points of sale were selling tobacco products out of the 487 surveyed around schools. The most common and popular types of points of sale in these areas were street vendors (56.6%), followed by mobile vendors (17.5%) and small grocery stores (13.7%). Tobacco products are displayed in ways that are appealing to children and youth.
CONCLUSIONS: This has helped civil society to effectively strategize and mount a stringent campaign on tobacco control across the country, garner political support from select leaders, sensitize the media and seek general public support for compliance & implementation of Section 6 of COTPA.