Dhaka: Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs Adviser Sharmeen S Murshid today underscored the need for amending the Tobacco Control Act. “It is now a proven fact that tobacco is seriously harmful to health. Just as smokers are victims of this harm, so are those around them as direct and indirect smokers,” she said.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the adviser made these remarks during her speech as the chief guest at a seminar titled ‘Urgency of passing the proposed draft Tobacco Control Ordinance 2024 to protect youth, women and children’ organized by Nari Maitree at the Bishwa Sahitya Kendra. Sharmeen S. Murshid emphasized that young people, women, and children are the leaders of the future, with women playing a crucial role in nurturing these leaders.
She highlighted that one of the essential conditions for ensuring the health of children, young people, and women is to protect them from the harmful effects of tobacco. To achieve this, she argued, there is no alternative to strengthening
the Tobacco Control Act. The advisor cited data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) indicating that 161,000 people die prematurely every year due to tobacco, with 442 people dying every day, describing it as an epidemic.
The seminar was chaired by Shaheen Akhter Dolly, Executive Director of Nari Maitree, and saw the attendance of prominent figures including Sheikh Momena Moni, Additional Secretary of the Health Services Division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Shabnam Mostari, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Md. Akhtaruz Zaman, Director General of the National Tobacco Control Cell of the Health Services, and Professor Dr. Golam Mohiuddin Faruk, President of the Bangladesh Cancer Society, among others.