BACKGROUND AND IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES: Tobacco use caused nearly 126.000 deaths accounting for 13.5 percent of deaths from any cause in Bangladesh in 2018. Tobacco-induced deaths and diseases alone cost the economy of Bangladesh around BDT 305.6 billion ($3.61 billion) a year, which was equivalent to 1.4 percent of its national GDP in the year 2017-2018. The loopholes in the tobacco regulations and weak enforcement of tobacco control laws in Bangladesh have left majority of the population exposed to tobacco related harms.
INTERVENTION OR RESPONSE: Grambangla Unnayan Committee (GUC), a Bangladeshi NGO with the support from Vital Strategies working for tobacco control in Bangladesh since 2018. To strengthen institutional capacity of enforcing agencies of tobacco control laws GUC organized 18 institutional system development workshops with 18 municipalities of coastal areas of Bangladesh. Through those workshops a total of 359 participants (17 Mayors, 216 councilors, 36 TFC members etc.) gained required knowledge and skills in implementing tobacco control laws. Moreover, a total of 18 Joint meetings of municipalities and Task Force Committees for tobacco control were organized to promote joint actions for enforcement of `Tobacco control implementation guidelines for local government institutions (LGI)’ and Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act, 2005.
RESULTS AND IMPACT: As an effect of the institutional development efforts of GUC, a total of 36 mobile courts were conducted during May 2023 to December 2024 for tobacco control and the mobile courts fined a total of BDT 301.300 for finding advertisement material on tobacco products at point of sales and not finding any trade license to sell tobacco products to be issued by local municipality.
CONCLUSIONS: The proper implementation of this law is extremely important to protect the people from the dangers of tobacco use. Executive magistrates and municipalities require more capacities in enforcing tobacco ​control laws for better results.