Monday, December 2, 2002
China to lift ban on condom advertisements
Press Trust of India Beijing, December 2
As part of China's fight against HIV/AIDS, the government is set to lift a 13-year-long ban on condom advertisements from next year.
Public information advertisements about condoms are expected to appear early next year, an official from the state administration of industry and commerce was quoted as saying by the official 'China Daily'.
In June, the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, had asked the administration to lift the ban.
While promising to lift the ban in 2003, the administration said that a limited range of condom advertisements would help encourage the family planning and the prevention of HIV/AIDS.
Manager of the state family planning commission's medical equipment development centre, An Bohua, said the ban should have been lifted a long back because condoms are the most effective tools for not only avoiding pregnancy but also protecting people from sexually transmitted diseases. China has reported a 16.7 per cent year-on-year rise of registered HIV-infected people in the first half of this year, according to the Ministry of Health.
Last year, the World Health Organisation and the Ministry of Health selected four Chinese cities for trial promotions of condoms in entertainment venues. The Chinese government last year purchased 1.2 billion condoms for family planning.
The advertisements will help change the present chaos in China's condom industry, experts said, pointing out to the presence of over 300 producers. The ban on advertisements of condoms was enforced in 1989 by the state administration.
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