NEVER MIND SECOND HAND SMOKE / Part 309 / For Love and For Justice / Zabeth and Paul Bayne/

i FIGURE i AM ENTITLED TO A SILLY POST - IT'S MY BIRTHDAY.

Finally a child protection measure worthy of praise. They removed the child, addressed a problem and returned the child, all within 30 days.

Since he was an infant he saw people smoking. He lives in the South Sumatran fishing village of Musi Banyuasin where every fisherman smokes. Ardi's father gave him his first cigarette when he was just 18-months-old. His parents run a street market and during the long hours their toddler was manageable when they gave him cigarettes. Indonesian two year old Ardi Rizal, with a two pack a day habit made international news in May when the video of him smoking went internet viral.

News agencies around the world carried the video story including CBC. His parents could not coax him to quit or make him quit but in the face of his tantrums when pressured to quit, fed him more cigarettes. Chubby two year old fingers twirled a cigarette like a pro and he inhaled like an old-timer. Forty cigarettes per day. Ardi’s parents, who were ignorant of smoking’s dangers and used cigarettes to keep the toddler happy as they worked long hours at a street market. He was made to kick the habit cold turkey when custody of the boy was removed from the parents and in care he was provided with numerous alternate interests and activities which appear to have worked for him. Whether he will stay off the smoke remains to be seen. Indonesian village culture sees a majority of children smoking before the age of ten. In fact this boy's father thought there was nothing wrong with his boy smoking. 'I'm not worried about his health, he looks healthy,' shrugged the boy's father Mohammad Rizal. He hardly stands a chance.

Ardi having a drag

The toddler was placed under the care of the National Commission for Child Protection in July, and was given psychological therapy. Psychologist Seto Mulyadi, took the child into his own home as part of rehabilitation efforts. After a month of rehabilitation it has been successful. Ardi is weaned from this addiction to cigarettes has since been redirected to playing: “He received psychosocial therapy for one month, during which therapists kept him busy with activities and encouraged him to play with kids of the same age,” says Merdeka Sirait, secretary-general of the National Commission for Child Protection.

Ardi Rizal was exposed to various activities, including drawing. His mother Diana, in turn, was given parenting classes. Rizal was described as a “happy” boy and has reportedly left Jakarta to go home to his village. The hope is that his father who stayed behind in their village of Musi Banyuasin will not hand Ardi a cigarette again.

5:33 AM Postscript: my opener... “Finally a child protection measure worthy of praise” was a cynical comment rather than an endorsement, altho I am glad he stopped smoking for a month.