Women call for quick passage of tobacco law changes to protect health

Women from different professions have called for the immediate passage of proposed amendments to the tobacco control law to better protect women’s health.

They made the demand on Tuesday at a discussion marking Begum Rokeya Day, jointly organised by the Bangladesh Women Journalists Forum and Nari Maitree at the Moulana Mohammad Akram Khan Auditorium of the National Press Club, according to a press release. 

At the event, the Bangladesh Women Journalists Forum also conferred the Begum Rokeya Award on journalists Mamtaz Bilkis, Mokbula Parvin and Rozi Ferdous.

Speakers said Begum Rokeya was a pioneer of women’s rights and leadership whose progressive vision centred on women’s freedom, access to education and a society free from discrimination.

In that spirit, they said, amending the tobacco control law is not only a public health necessity but also crucial for protecting women’s rights and building a just society.

Citing the Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2017, they said 30 per cent of women at workplaces and 21 per cent of women in public spaces in Bangladesh are exposed to secondhand smoke.

Women also face exposure at home, they said. Smoking by fathers, brothers, husbands, colleagues and strangers in public transport and other public spaces increases women’s risk of asthma, breast and lung cancer and pregnancy-related complications.

According to the Bangladesh Cancer Society, women who spend even one hour a day near a smoker face double the risk of breast cancer compared to others.

Speakers noted that non-communicable diseases linked to tobacco use – such as heart disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory illnesses, cancer, kidney disease and injuries – are on the rise.

They referred to the WHO Tobacco Atlas 2025, which estimates that tobacco-related diseases claim about 130,135 lives annually in Bangladesh, or roughly 357 deaths every day.

The discussion was presided over by Nari Maitree president Masuma Alam. BNP Central Committee assistant secretary Nilufa Chowdhury Moni attended as special guest.

Bangladesh Women Journalists Forum president Fahmida Akhter, Nari Maitree Anti-Tobacco Teachers Forum convener Dr Khaleda Islam, and Nari Maitree Anti-Tobacco Mothers Forum convener Shibani Bhattacharya, were also present.