| Bangladesh joined the
ranks of countries taking tobacco control seriously when it passed
its comprehensive tobacco control law on 26 March 2005. Since then,
BATA members have been working actively in cooperation with
government and media to strengthen monitoring and enforcement of
this law, which if properly enforced will have a tremendous impact
on improving public health and reducing the contribution of tobacco
to poverty.
WBB is supporting NGOs to identify and collect
information on examples of law-breaking activities by the industry,
and in providing the information to government officials to assist
them with enforcement.
In the first year following passage of the law, about 15 NGOs have
been working around the country on monitoring, and carried out other
activities to raise awareness of the importance of the issue,
including rallies, seminars, letter campaigns, workshops,
identifying and labeling smoke-free places and smoking zones.
Involved NGOs, as of April 2006, are: Rural
Acting Arrangement Center (RAAC)-Jhenidah, Bangladesh Development
Partnership Center (BDPC)-Dhaka, PIYAS-Chapai Nawabganj, Bangladesh
Integrated Community Development-Rajshahi, AKOSH-Thakurga,
MPUS-Dinaspur, TMSS-Dhaka Officer, Hunger Project- Dhaka, ASKS-Naogaon,
SCOPE- Barisal, KNKS-Bagerhat, PJS-Jessore, Rural Vision (RV)-Meherpur,
Sylhet Jubo Academy (SJA)- Sylhet, Protyasha-Dhaka, WACC-Dhaka,
Five Star Club-B-Baria, Manobik-Dhaka. DMSS-Joypurhat.
Please visit
www.bata.globalink.org for
more information. |
