'Ban smoking at working places'

22 May 2010, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

Speakers at a seminar yesterday demanded steps to ban smoking at working places to protect women from passive smoking. To this end, the definition of public place mentioned in the Tobacco Control Act should include working places, private organisations and restaurants, they added. They said around 30 percent of women fall victim to passive smoking at their working places and 21 percent in public places. As a result, they are suffering from various tobacco-related diseases. The National Girl Child Advocacy Forum and WBB Trust organised the seminar on 'Ways to reduce impacts of smoking on women' at Dhaka Reporters' Unity, said a press release. WBB Trust programme officer Aminul Islam Sujon said 28 percent of women in the country, on an average, use tobacco products and 1.5 percent of them are used to smoking. Most of them take tobacco in various forms such as jarda, gul and dead leaves. Dr Arup Ratan Chowdhury said women and children are the worst victims of tobacco-related health hazards. Many women and children are also involved in processing of tobacco and they face various health hazards in the tobacco factories. The government should take steps to raise awareness among the people to protect women from the sever impacts of tobacco use, he added. Nasrin Mukti, senior assistant secretary of health ministry, said the government has taken effective measures to strictly implement Tobacco Control Act. National Girl Child Advocacy Forum secretary Nasima Akhter Jolly observed that spending on tobacco by male members of a family also have an adverse impacts on women and children as they do not get enough money to spend on their education, healthcare and nutritional requirements. Forum vice president Prof Latifa Akanda presided over the seminar while woman leader Tajia Azim Majumder, Hunger Project Bangladesh programme officer Bidhan Chandra Pal, among others, were also present.