The major decision of the Department of Social Services:The entire office has been declared smoke-free

The major decision of the Department of Social Services:The entire office has been declared smoke-free

National Desk :    |    ০৫:৪৯ পিএম, ২০২৫-০৯-২২

Yusuf Ali: To protect non-smokers from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and to protect them from the health hazards, the office of the Department of Social Services has been declared a completely smoke-free area. It has been informed that from now on, all the activities of this department will be conducted as a smoke-free area following the national guidelines on tobacco control. This announcement was made at a program titled 'Strengthening the Tobacco Control Act for Public Health Protection and Declaring the Department of Social Services Tobacco-Free' organized by Nari Maitri at the office of the Department of Social Services in Agargaon in the capital on Monday.

The announcement stated that the sale and use of any type of tobacco products will be completely prohibited inside the office of the Department of Social Services, so that none of the working officers and employees and visiting guests are subjected to the harmful effects of second-hand smoke. They also said that all the activities of this department will be conducted as a completely smoke-free area following the national guidelines on tobacco control.

It was informed in the meeting that the Department of Health Services proposed several amendments to make the existing Tobacco Control Act 2005 (amended 2013) more compatible with the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The important proposals include banning designated smoking areas or smoking zones in public places, completely banning the display and advertising of all types of tobacco products, protecting youth from the harmful effects of e-cigarettes, stopping the retail sale of bidi-cigarette sticks, banning social responsibility programs or CSR activities of tobacco companies, and increasing the pictorial warnings on tobacco product packaging to 90 percent. In his speech as the chief guest on the occasion, Director General of the Department of Social Services Md. Saidur Rahman Khan declared the department tobacco-free and said, "Not only smokers are being harmed due to smoking, but non-smokers around them are also being harmed equally." It is very important to ensure a tobacco-free environment for the health of non-smokers. The Department of Social Services is responsible for the health of its officers and employees and guests, and it is out of this responsibility that we have decided to declare this department smoke-free. There are plans to implement it on a larger scale in the future.'

In the special guest's speech, Shibani Bhattacharya, convener and former additional secretary of Nari Maitree Mothers Forum Against Tobacco, said, 'The example that the Department of Social Services has created by declaring a tobacco-free office, I hope it will become an inspiration for other institutions in the country. A major social change can begin through this smoke-free declaration. We hope that it will spread to other institutions and accelerate the path to building a tobacco-free Bangladesh in the future.'

Tasfia Nowrin, a member of the Women's Alliance Youth Forum Against Tobacco, said, "Every year, 38.4 million people are indirectly harmed due to second-hand smoke. Especially women and children are not spared from second-hand smoke in any way. There are designated smoking areas in various public places, including restaurants. Non-smokers are also exposed to second-hand smoke from those places. I express my gratitude to the authorities for declaring the Department of Social Services smoke-free to prevent this harm. I also demand the speedy passage of the amendments proposed by the Health Care Department to the Tobacco Control Act." In the president's speech, Shaheen Akhter Dolly, Executive Director of Women's Alliance, said, "In 2004, Bangladesh was the first country to sign the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) of the World Health Organization and in 2008, it also agreed to the guidelines for the implementation of Article 5.3 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)." This section states that the policy-making process should be kept completely separate from the business interests of tobacco companies. But recently, it has been seen that tobacco companies are influencing this committee in various ways and creating obstacles in this process. Recently, the National Board of Revenue has also decided to hold a meeting with tobacco companies. In the interest of protecting public health, this decision should be canceled and measures should be taken to quickly pass the amendment to the Tobacco Control Act.’ The meeting was attended by Professor Dr. Khaleda Islam, convener of the Women's Friendship Teachers Forum Against Tobacco and teacher of the Institute of Food and Nutrition Sciences, Dhaka University, Professor Dr. Tanushree Halder, co-convener of the Women's Friendship Teachers Forum Against Tobacco and professor of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, and officials from various departments of the Department of Social Services. At the event, Nasrin Akhter, Project Coordinator of the Women's Alliance Tobacco Control Project, highlighted the dangers of tobacco through a multimedia presentation and explained the need to amend the Tobacco Control Act in the public interest. She presented several recommendations to prevent and deter any tobacco-related activities that violate the existing law, and to ensure accountability at the policy-making level.