In an unusually bold move, Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) the country's consumer rights watch dog, has set a high standard of ethics in its conduct. It has taken up in right earnest the anti-tobacco cause instead of pleading the case for consumers of the lethal products we call tobacco, including smokeless and `chewables'. As part of CAB's ongoing movement against tobacco consumption, it organized in collaboration with Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK) a discussion meeting with the theme "Strengthening Tobacco Control Law Regarding Packaging" at a city hotel on 23 July. The meeting participated by media representatives, members of civil society and NGOs called for updating, amending and tightening the Bangladesh Tobacco Control Act 2005 by incorporating provisions regarding health alert in pictures besides taking other measures aimed at curbing the tobacco scourge.
The speakers stressed the urgency of introducing health warning messages with pictures displaying the horrifying effects of diseases linked to tobacco use on cigarette packets and labels of other tobacco products, especially 'biris'. Amanullah Khan, Chairman UNB, Moslem Ali Khan, Ambassador of Goodwill of Lions Club International, Prof. Dr Md. Anwarul Islam of Dhaka University, Kazi Ali Reza, Director UNIC, Farida Akhtar, Executive Director UBINIG, Munima Sultana of Financial Express among others, spoke at the meeting chaired by CAB president Kazi Faruq. Iqbal Masud, Coordinator Dhaka Ahsania Mission presented the keynote paper while Taifur Rahman, Advocacy and Media Coordinator, CTFK, acted as the moderator at the round table discussion. CAB General Secretary Principal (Advocate) Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan delivered the vote of thanks.
A seven point recommendation emerged from the meeting. These are involving women in the movement against tobacco, use of seal with the warning `Smoking is harmful for health' in all the textbooks published by the Ministry of Education, use of the same kind of seal in doctors' prescriptions, use of pictorial warnings against tobacco use in cinema halls, projecting on a regular basis in the health and business pages of newspapers issues of health and loss to national economy caused by smoking, print and electronic media's proactive role in tobacco control through publishing and transmitting pictorial warnings with appropriate messages and honouring journalists with suitable awards for writing investigative reports in the media that seek to mould public opinion in favour of tobacco control.
Amanullah Khan, chairman, United News of Bangladesh (UNB) also the founder president of CAT (Coalition Against Tobacco) and the senior vice president of ADHUNIK, country's leading anti-tobacco organization, in his address described pictorial warning as the most powerful weapon in the fight against tobacco epidemic. "This is because majority of tobacco users in Bangladesh are illiterate who are unable to make any sense of the written words in which case warnings through pictures can have an impact on them to a degree that will motivate them to quit the habit. It will also prevent the spread of the deadly habit among those who are not yet addicted to tobacco but are potential consumers targeted by tobacco companies," the anti-tobacco activist pointed out. He also observed that this group most of whom were poor spent a large chunk of their income on buying low brand cigarettes or `biris' thus wasting money that would have been available for procuring nutritious food making them poorer and sicker. It should also be borne in mind that the number of poor smokers were alarmingly rising in Bangladesh, he said. Because of the tremendous visual effect of images on people in general the terrifying pictures of victims of tobacco related diseases would act as a deterrent equally for those who were educated, the anti-tobacco leader asserted. "Following the ban on cigarette ads, one of the survival strategies of tobacco companies has been to present their toxic products in an eye-catching, tantalizing and tempting cover (packets) designed to attract non-smokers and win over new customers. On the other hand, if the packets carry pictorial warnings, an indirect ad of tobacco products will stop," Khan explained.
On the painfully go slow policy of Bangladesh in adopting the necessary legislation in this connection, the activist mentioned that an advanced country like Canada introduced it in 2000 and 22 other countries had done it although our country was the first signatory to the FCTC signed in 2003 by 170 countries of the world. "Tobacco is the only addictive drug which is openly and freely available for sale in the market with little or no control in place over the cultivation, manufacture and distribution of tobacco and tobacco products," the anti-tobacco campaigner told the participants. He expressed concern that the tobacco companies continued to dodge their legal liability relating to product property disclosures. He also suggested inclusion with the accompanying pictures of written warning that there was no safe level of smoking and that the total abstinence was the only way to prevent health risks of tobacco that could lead to death. He expressed the view that repercussions on health of exposure to second hand smoking, to the farmers engaged in tobacco cultivation and the workers employed in tobacco and biri factories were not widely known pointing to the need for greater publicity of the grim statistics on the subject.
The news agency chief also urged both the print and electronic media to publish and broadcast anti-tobacco messages and pictures in public interest and as part of their CSR. He also appealed to them to play an advocacy role in exerting pressure on policy makers to formulate a tough anti-tobacco regime and to ensure its strict enforcement alongside raising awareness about the life threatening dangers of tobacco use among the public.