To reduce tobacco-related deaths and usage, and to build a healthy, tobacco-free nation, 17 anti-tobacco organizations and students of the University of Dhaka organized a rally and a symbolic coffin procession demanding a timely and stronger tobacco control law.
The event was held on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in the TSC area of the University of Dhaka. Following the rally, the coffin procession made its way through the university premises.
Speakers at the rally stated that 35.3% of the population aged 15 and above in Bangladesh use tobacco. Every day, 442 people die from tobacco-related diseases, while approximately 400,000 people become disabled annually. Additionally, 42.7% of the population are victims of secondhand smoke. According to research published by the American Cancer Society, the economic cost of tobacco use in the 2017–18 fiscal year (including medical expenses and loss of productivity) was BDT 30,560 crore, which far exceeds the revenue earned from the sector (BDT 22,810 crore) during the same period.
Although the current law prohibits tobacco advertising and promotion, tobacco companies continue to promote their products using loopholes. The speakers urged that multinational companies violating the law be brought to justice.
Currently, around 1.5 million people in Bangladesh suffer from tobacco-related illnesses, and over 61,000 children (under 15) suffer from various diseases caused by secondhand smoke. The speakers stressed that if the proposed amendments are passed, non-smokers would be protected from secondhand smoke, and the likelihood of tobacco use among future generations would be significantly reduced, ultimately saving lives.
The proposed amendments include the elimination of designated smoking zones, banning the display of tobacco products at points of sale, prohibiting the sale of single cigarettes or bidis, protecting youth from e-cigarettes or heated tobacco products, ending tobacco companies’ CSR activities, and increasing health warnings on cigarette packs from 50% to 90%. These reforms would contribute significantly to public health and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Speakers at the event included Iqbal Masud (Director, Health and WASH Sector, Dhaka Ahsania Mission), Helal Ahmed (PROTTASHA), Abu Naser Anik (AID Foundation), Farhana Jaman Liza (TCRC), Hamidul Islam Hillol (BNTTP), Sima Das Shimu (Anti-Tobacco Women’s Alliance), Umme Jannat (MANAS), Nasrin Akter (Nari Maitree), Dr. Aruna Sarker (National Heart Foundation), Mithun Baidya (WBB Trust), and Marjana Muntaha (Coordinator, Ahsania Mission Youth Forum for Health and Wellbeing).
The 17 organizing organizations were: Dhaka Ahsania Mission, PROGGA, DORP, Nari Maitree, National Heart Foundation, BNTTP, BCCP, TCRC, WBB Trust, NATAB, AID Foundation, Grambangla Unnayan Committee, PROTTASHA, PPRC, MANAS, TABINAJ, and BTCA.