Put tobacco control law into practice
Our law
enforcement and health authorities seem to be oblivious of their duties
when it comes to enforce the
amended tobacco control law
At a recent meeting titled Strengthening Tobacco Control in Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions organized by the Community Development (ACD), the Deputy Director of Local Government Division stressed the need for infusing dynamism into enforcement of the tobacco control law through mobile court operations. It is indeed a welcome call.
When most of the countries in the world have strictly enforced tobacco control law following much success to deter their younger generations from picking up the habit of smoking, Bangladesh still remains in a happy-go-lucky mood. Our law enforcement and health authorities seem to be oblivious of their duties when it comes to enforce the amended tobacco control law.
The National Assembly of Bangladesh passed the Tobacco Control Law Amendment Bill on 29 April 2013, closing many loopholes in the countrys previous tobacco control law, but almost to no effect. The law still remains much in the papers and law books. However, in the past three years coupled with environmental pollution the number of smokers too has dangerously increased. More perilously, smoking in public places has shot up at an alarming rate.
A recent statistics show that around 57,000 people die and nearly 12 lakh people become disabled every year in the country due to tobacco-related diseases. Many of them occur due to passive smoking. The reason for our smokers to smoke so impudently almost everywhere is happening because there is not only anyone to enforce the tobacco law, but because few smokers care to respect the law. The public tendency to defy any law, including the anti-tobacco law, is not new in this country, but then again majority of the smokers are unaware of this law too. Not too many billboards or banners highlighting the law are seen.
However, given Bangladeshs increased environmental pollution and health problems caused due to smoking, the need of the hour is to effectively implement the law throughout the country. It is not only up to the ministry of health to formulate and ensure if the law is being implemented or not, but it should be a well-planned and co-ordinated approach between the concerned ministry, law enforcement agencies, media houses and also general citizens. NGOs too can come up with awareness campaign programmes. For awarding spot penalty it is expected that mobile courts will gear up theiroperations too.
The goal to make Bangladesh a tobacco free state should commence by placing the law into practice.
