click here to see the Public Service Announcement

Only 100% smoke-free environments protect your
children and family from the very serious health
problems that breathing second-hand smoke causes.
Do not allow anyone to smoke in your home.
Demand that all indoor public places be 100%
smoke-free.

Around 700 million children - almost half of the world's children - breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke, particularly at home.[1] On 4 February 2008, World Cancer Day will direct a simple message to parents: "Second-hand smoke is a health hazard for you and your family. There is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke. Give your child a smoke-free childhood."

Key objectives

1. Raise public awareness through a global media campaign launched by UICC on World Cancer Day 2008 as well as local media coverage together with member organizations adapted for local relevance

2. Engage member organizations to catalyse changes in smoking behaviour in the environment of children within their communities. Develop adaptable online toolkits and assist UICC members, cancer organizations and health institutes around the world to develop local information, media and advocacy campaigns, and annual surveys

3. Generate a global movement to increase awareness of the hazards of smoking around children and mobilize individual citizens, schools, communities and coalitions of voluntary associations around local initiatives to catalyse smoke-free environments for children (home, car, day care, schools, grandparents)

4. Increase the motivation to quit, pointing to resources on the campaign website

5. Develop an internationally recognized "No-smoking environment for children" symbol

6. Subject to funding, initiate sustainable educational pilot projects in 10-20 low- and middle-income countries

7. Engage support for the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (A/FCTC/COP/2/7), and in particular, with respect to Article 8 (Protection from exposure to tobacco smoke)

Key outcomes

1. A global movement in support of no-smoking environments for children

2. Coverage in global and local media on and around World Cancer Day

3. Activities with members in all continents and a track in the Global Cancer Control Community

4. Adapted messages, awareness building and educational campaigns for local communities around the world and tool kit on website, links to cessation sites in all continents

5. An internationally recognized "No-smoking environment for children" symbol launched on World No Tobacco Day (May 2008)

6. As of 2008, pilot projects in 10-20 low- and middle-income countries (the precise number of countries will be subject to available funds)

7. Survey questionnaire in as many countries as possible to assess changes in attitudes towards smoking in the environment of children as a result of the campaign

Key messages

"I love my smoke-free childhood" appeals to adults and parents to recognize that there is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke and to actively support smoke-free environments for children. It calls on parents and other caregivers to advocate for and provide a safe and healthy environment for children. It is an encouragement for parental responsibility, not a constraint on personal freedom. It recognizes the fundamental right of children to breathe clean air.

Key messages to be addressed to parents:

• There is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke.
• Because you care, protect your children from second-hand smoke
• Teach children to stay away from second-hand smoke
• Avoid smoking or allowing others to smoke in your home or car, even when your children are not there
• Do not smoke while pregnant or in the vicinity of someone who is pregnant
• Use a smoke-free day care centre,
• Keep your children away from restaurants or other indoor public places that allow smoking
• If you are a smoker, ask your doctor what you can do to stop
• Become a role model for your child - do not smoke

Other key messages will be tailored to health educators, professionals and community leaders.

Timeline for a four-year campaign, 2007-2010

• Year 1 will focus on mobilizing media at the global, regional and national levels while encouraging the launch of local initiatives by UICC member organizations around the world. The official launch of the campaign will be on World Cancer Day, 4 February 2008. Country activities will take place throughout the year.
• Years 2 and 3 will focus on sustainable educational pilot projects mobilizing local cancer societies and the communities they serve. The projects will be officially announced at the World Cancer Congress 2008 and sponsors will be recognized.
• Year 4 participating projects will be invited to present their projects at the World Cancer Congress 2010 in China.

Proposed activities

• Release of Smoke-Free Environments for Children, a UICC scientific publication, on World Cancer Day 2008 with reader-friendly adaptations for different print media (parents magazines, women's magazines, etc.)
• Dissemination of diverse fact sheets in multiple languages targeted at health professionals, community leaders, and policymakers
• Practical tips for cancer organizations to mobilize communities
• Model approaches for smoke-free homes and cars
• Call for submissions for an international "smoke-free environment symbol for children" (PR companies, cancer and tobacco organizations, and the communities they serve)
• Extensive media outreach
• Posters, website, press releases, public service announcements
• A campaign website will feature toolkits in multiple languages, pledges, and available campaign resources
• Smoking cessation resources for parents
• Grants over three years for educational pilot project interventions through a call for projects
• Presentation of achievements in the World Cancer Congress in 2008 and 2010
• The UICC general assembly of member organizations (currently 286 in 93 countries) will be asked to endorse the campaign

Media strategies

• Public service announcements (radio, TV) in multiple languages, press releases, news briefs, films released to TV networks, and media events on key messages. These will aim to increase public comprehension of the risks to children due to second-hand smoke; strengthen public awareness of the options that exist; strengthen the public's desire to change smoking behaviour around children and see the benefits of anti-smoking policies and practices
• Advertising in popular magazines tailored to local situations, News stories about studies and individual experiences

Campaign structure

• Steering committee: An international steering committee chaired by Prof David Hill (Australia) will oversee this initiative. The steering committee will be responsible for campaign roll-out and may appoint working groups
• Campaign advisory group: International partners will appoint advisors to the steering committee to help shape the campaign
• Working groups: regional, country and other working groups will be appointed as necessary, with membership drawn from UICC and its partners. International, regional and national partners may participate in working groups to which they can contribute knowledge and expertise, including media; family/parent outreach; community/school/leisure outreach; health and professional outreach

Campaign partners

• UICC will carry out the campaign with its member organizations worldwide and with other leading health institutions.
• Partnership in the campaign is open to all UICC member organizations, institutional partners, media, corporate partners and philanthropic foundations
• Partners will carry the campaign logo on their website and will officially endorse the campaign
• Partners agree that anything they do within the framework of the campaign shall be in conformity with the campaign's key messages, goals and objectives
• Partners may also be sponsors (see separate document).
• Organizations whose internal rules prevent them from becoming partners may ask to be recognized as collaborating organizations

Ambassadors

• Ambassadors and spokesmen will include: celebrities, parents, charity representatives, child celebrities, eminent scientists, senior political institutional representatives.

The campaign will benefit from multiple global sponsorships.

A statement of endorsement

A statement will be crafted by the steering committee, endorsing the pursuit of a smoke-free environment for children of all ages around the world. Partners and members will participate in public signings.

For more information, please contact
Isabel Mortara
Executive Director
International Union Against Cancer (UICC)
62 route de Frontenex
1207 Geneva, Switzerland
Email: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

[1] World Health Organization, International Consultation on Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) and Child Health (Geneva: WHO, 1999, not a formal publication of the organization); Tobacco and the Rights of the Child (Geneva: WHO, 1999).