A demonstration in Dhaka demanding a tobacco control law amendment at the next parliament. The demonstration was jointly organised by WBB Trust, Oruonodoyer Tarun Dol and Green Mind Society. Photo by: Aminul Islam Sujon, WBB Trust
On 29 April in Dhaka, Bangladesh, members of the national parliament passed a new tobacco law that bans smoking in all workplaces, including restaurants.
The Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Bill (Amendment) 2013, which significantly amends an earlier law, expands smoking bans to cover all public facilities and workplaces. The amendment also requires graphic health warnings that cover 50% of tobacco packaging. It further extends the current ban on advertising and promotion to cover point-of-sale displays and so-called corporate social responsibility activities. Significantly, the amendment adds smokeless tobacco to products regulated under the countries tobacco control laws.
43 percent of adults – 41.3 million people – in Bangladesh use tobacco. Around half of these use smokeless forms of tobacco. Tobacco use and exposure is responsible for 24% of male deaths and 12% of female deaths.
The Union has been working with the National Tobacco Control Cell (NTCC) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare since 2010 to make legislation FCTC-compliant and improve enforcement. The passage of the amendment is a significant achievement for both The Union and the NTCC, as well as other NGO partners working in tobacco control: NATAB, ACLAB and WBB Trust.
Despite numerous advocacy efforts by Union partners on the ground, the law still allows for designated smoking rooms. Designated smoking rooms expose even those sitting in non-smoking sections of a building to dangerous second-hand smoke because tobacco smoke can never be effectively contained.
Fortunately, there is scope to significantly limit the number of these designated smoking areas and the venues in which they are permitted under the implementation rules and regulations for the amendment. These rules are currently under development with Ministry of Health. The Union will continue to work with the Ministry to reduce the number of designated smoking areas and ensure that as many people as possible are protected under the new law. Smokefree workplaces will also reduce the risk of fires.