Staff Correspondent

The Formation Meeting of the Anti-Tobacco Mothers' Forum was held on Wednesday morning (October 23) at Krishibid Institute Bangladesh, organized by Nari Maitree. During the event, 18 prominent mothers gathered to raise their voices against the harmful impact of direct and secondhand smoking on women and children. The forum called for the immediate passage of the proposed amendments to the tobacco control law.

The program was convened by Shivani Bhattacharya, former Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Social Welfare, co convenor Shahnaz Begum Poly, management committee member at national press Club, afsana nowrin, a prominent mother and the event chaired by Shaheen Akter Dolly, Executive Director of Nari Maitree. The meeting aimed to bring mothers together in a united effort to combat the harmful effects of tobacco.

Md. Abdus Salam Mia, Programs Manager at Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Bangladesh was present as a special guest speaker at the program and he stressed the urgent need for stronger tobacco control measures in Bangladesh.

Nari Maitree’s Project Coordinator, Nasrin Akter, presented alarming statistics, revealing that 37.8 million people in Bangladesh are tobacco users, and an estimated 442 people die every day from tobacco-related diseases. To combat this public health crisis, the forum called for the rapid approval of the Ministry of Health’s proposed amendments to the existing tobacco control law. Key provisions of the proposed amendments include eliminating designated smoking areas in public places and public transport, banning the display of tobacco products at points of sale, prohibiting corporate social responsibility activities by tobacco companies, and banning the use and marketing of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, stopping all types of retail and loose sales of tobacco products; and increasing the size of pictorial health warnings from 50% to 90%.

The forum's convener, Shivani Bhattacharya, believes that the members of the forum will play a significant role in making Bangladesh tobacco-free. She noted that 38.4 million people, mostly women and children, are exposed to secondhand smoke despite not smoking themselves. Secondhand smoke causes several health problems for women, including miscarriages, premature births, low birth weight, bleeding during pregnancy, excessive bleeding during childbirth, and stillbirths. The forum will provide tireless support and advice in demanding the swift passage of the proposed amendments to the tobacco control law to protect women and children's health. Additionally, they will work to keep their families safe from the harmful effects of tobacco and speak to other mothers about this issue.

She also emphasized the need for effective taxation on tobacco products and urged the National Board of Revenue and the Ministry of Finance to take action. She assured that the forum would actively stand against the tobacco companies' tactics to hinder tobacco control legislation.

Abdus Salam Miah highlighted the crucial role mothers play in shielding young people from tobacco addiction, which has become increasingly prevalent among teenagers. A recent World Health Organization Global Youth Tobacco Survey reported that nearly 12% of Bangladeshi adolescents aged 13 to 15 are regular smokers. "Tobacco addiction is dragging our youth into a dark and dangerous world. Mothers must rise and take action to protect their children from this threat,"

Furthermore, members of the forum strongly demanded the swift passage of the proposed amendments to the tobacco control law to achieve a tobacco-free Bangladesh.

Also attending the event were writer and columnist Sapna Reza, News Editor of Views Bangladesh Maria Salam, Senior Reporter of Ittefaq Rabia Hossain Baby, President of Kheya Women and Child Development Organization Farzana Shammi, and mothers from various professional backgrounds.