BACKGROUND AND IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES: Bangladesh aspires to be tobacco-free by 2040. The enforcement of the Tobacco Control Act (TCA), including its provision banning Tobacco Advertisement, Promotion, and Sponsorship (TAPS), remains weak due to inadequate strategies and industry interference. The industry often violates these provisions. NATAB’s project "Strengthening TC Law and LGI Guideline Implementation", supported by Vital Strategies, aims to address these gaps by strengthening monitoring and empowering local governments to implement TC policies.
INTERVENTION OR RESPONSE: NATAB implemented a multi-faceted intervention across six districts. The key initiative involved conducting digital monitoring to identify TAPS violations and providing the compliance report to authorities for targeted enforcement. The intervention conducted 60 targeted capacity-building initiatives. To enforce TCA provisions, 14 mobile courts are being facilitated to empower task-force committees and local government officials. Additionally, the proposal suggested Tobacco Vendor Licensing (TVL) in three city corporations and nine municipalities to regulate points-of-sales violations. Media and social platforms are utilized to raise awareness and accountability.
RESULTS AND IMPACT: The project measurably progressed in reducing TAPS violations. According to a survey, TAPS breaches dropped from 69.4% in January 2024 to 42.12% in November 2024. Further, five municipalities issued 343 vendor licenses under the TVL initiative, reducing unregulated sales. 9 Task-force meetings and 14 mobile courts strengthened TC law enforcement, resulting in significant interventions against TAPS violations at points of sale.
CONCLUSIONS: The interventions have demonstrated the effectiveness of a comprehensive TC law enforcement and guidelines. By addressing TAPS violations, empowering local governments, and leveraging digital monitoring, the project has laid a robust foundation for achieving the nation's tobacco-free vision by 2040. This model can drive systemic change, safeguard health, and reduce tobacco industry interference in policy implementation.