Staff Reporter Dhaka:

Mothers’ forum against tobacco stresses the urgent need to protect women and children from the harmful effects of tobacco to ensure public health. Mother’s forum urging the quick approval of the proposed changes to the tobacco control law during a discussion organized by Nari Maitree at Bishwo Shahitto Kendro on (4 November) Monday Morning.

The meeting was chaired by Nari Maitree’s Executive Director Shaheen Akter Dolly. Participants included Shivani Bhattacharya, the convener of the Mothers’ Forum against tobacco and former additional secretary of the Ministry of Social Welfare; Shahnaz Polly, the co-convener of the Mothers’ Forum against tobacco and member of the management committee of the Press Club; and Afsana Nowreen Ratna, co-convener of the mother’s forum Against tobacco.

Nasrin Akter, Project Coordinator of Nari Maitree, delivered the main presentation, outlining six key demands included in the draft amendments to the tobacco control law prepared by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the FCTC.These are: the elimination of designated smoking areas in all public places and public transport to protect non-smokers; the prohibition of tobacco product displays at sales points to halt tobacco advertising; and the complete ban on the social responsibility activities of tobacco companies. Additionally, it calls for the prohibition of the import, use, and marketing of e-cigarettes or emerging heated tobacco products, the cessation of all forms of retail and loose sales of tobacco products, and the increase of pictorial health warnings from 50% to 90%.

She also stated that currently, 37.8 million people in the country use tobacco, resulting in the death of 442 people daily due to tobacco-related diseases. To stop this, it is crucial to urgently pass the proposed amendments to the tobacco control law.

During the meeting, Shivani Bhattacharjya, the convener of the Mothers’ Forum against tobacco, appealed for the intervention of the coordinators to swiftly pass the proposed amendments to the tobacco control law to build a tobacco-free Bangladesh.

Shibani Bhattacharjya pointed out that 38.4 million people are impacted by secondhand smoke, with women and children being the most affected. She emphasized that exposure to secondhand smoke can lead to serious health issues for women, including premature miscarriages, preterm births, low-birth-weight infants, pregnancy-related bleeding, excessive bleeding during childbirth, and stillbirths. Therefore, in order to protect women’s and children’s health, we strongly protest against the lies of tobacco companies and demand the swift passage of the proposed amendments to the tobacco control law.”

The tobacco companies are spreading false news that employment will be harmed if a tobacco control law is enacted. Abdus Salam Mia, Program Manager at Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK), stated that according to the National Revenue Board, there are only 46,000 workers employed in bidi companies in the country. Meanwhile, two multinational cigarette companies, BAT and JTI, hold nearly 90% of the market share. According to the tobacco companies’ reports, their employee numbers are only 1,769 (1,669 for BAT and about 100 for JTI). They are propagating the false claim that 7 million people will lose their jobs due to the law.

Humaira Sultana, Communications Manager at CTFK, strongly condemned the tobacco companies’ schemes and their efforts to obstruct amendments to the law. She called on media personnel to highlight these conspiracies of the tobacco companies.

Md. Mostafizur Rahman, Lead Policy Advisor and former Chairman of the BCIC, noted that the tobacco companies’ various tactics are hindering the swift passage of the proposed amendments to the tobacco control law. He said, “The claim that a strong tobacco control law will decrease government revenue is simply not reasonable. The data from the National Revenue Board (NBR) shows they are spreading lies. In 2005, when the tobacco control law was passed, revenue from tobacco was 288.8 billion BDT. The following fiscal year, it rose to 335.1 billion BDT. When the law was amended in 2013, revenue from tobacco was 1,017 billion BDT, increasing to 1,255.6 billion BDT in the 2013-14 fiscal year. In the 2022-23 fiscal year, revenue from the tobacco sector was 3,282.3 billion BDT.”

He urged policymakers to remain aware of these misleading campaigns from tobacco companies and to take strong measures to protect the health of the country’s youth.

The discussion also included members of the Mothers’ Forum against tobacco, media professionals, members of the Girl Guides Ranger Unit, young participants from various universities, and other stakeholders.