Development Organization of the Rural Poor (DORP) on Sunday organized a street show to protect public health and implement the pledge to make Bangladesh tobacco-free before 2040 announced by the Prime Minister.
The street drama titled “Strong Tobacco Control Act to Build a Cancer-Free Bangladesh” was organised on the occasion of World Cancer Day 2024.
Through street plays organized by the DORP Youth Forum, the public is informed about the cancer risk of using tobacco products. At the same time, the need to amend the existing tobacco control laws to achieve a cancer-free Bangladesh is highlighted.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), only in 2022, 2 crore new cancer patients were diagnosed in the world and 97 lakh people died while the number of lung cancer cases and deaths is the highest among all the types of cancer.
The World Health Organization has identified smoking as the leading cause of lung cancer. According to the organization, the risk of dying from cancer can be prevented by 30 percent to 50 percent by taking certain steps, including avoiding tobacco use. Strengthening tobacco control laws is one of the ways to reduce the prevalence of tobacco.
Among the recent recommendations made by the Ministry of Health to strengthen the existing tobacco control laws and align them with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) are the abolition of designated smoking areas in all public places and public transport for the protection of non-smokers, the promotion of tobacco products Ban on display of tobacco products at points of sale, ban on tobacco company social responsibility activities, ban on import and manufacture, use and marketing of e-cigarettes or emerging heated tobacco products, ban on all forms of retail and open sale of tobacco products and increase of pictorial warning size from 50 percent to 90 percent.
Assistant Director of Directorate of Youth Development Ferdous Ahmed and Information Officer Tania Sultana spoke in a short discussion on the occasion of Cancer Day 2024 after the end of the street show.
They expressed solidarity with the demands of the DORP Youth Forum and urged all concerned parties to take initiative to amend the Tobacco Control Act quickly to protect public health.
Dorp has been involved in various development programs since 1987 and is best known for introducing maternity allowance. In line with this, DORP is currently working on amending the Tobacco Control Act and raising tobacco taxes and implementing various projects to achieve the government's sustainable development goals.