Photo: Courtesy
Terming tobacco as a gateway to drug, experts at a discussion called for saving the country’s youths for the sake of building Smart Bangladesh.
Smoking can provoke the youths to take to the path of drug use. Direct or indirect advertisements of tobacco in Mass Media (cinema, TV drama and web series) are helping motivate youths to smoking. If it goes on, it can spoil the future generation, they said.
The remarks were made at a discussion titled “Obligation of smoking scenario in cinema and effectiveness of law’.
Anti tobacco organization ‘Manas’ and Department of Film and Publication (DFP) jointly organized the event at DFP conference room at Circuit House Road in the capital today (5 March).
While presenting the keynote paper, Umme Jannat, Project Coordinator of Manas, said article 5 of Bangladesh’s Smoking and Use of Tobacco Products (Control) Act 2005 prohibits the use of advertisement on tobacco products in Mass Media, but the advertisement on the matter is being noticed in cinema, TV drama and web-series.
The target audience of those advertisements are youths, who are being allured to the path of smoking, putting the nation at risk, she observed, calling on all concerned to take necessary steps for enforcing the Smoking Act.
In his speech, Prof. Dr. Golam Mohiuddin Faruk, President of Bangladesh Cancer Society said, drug addiction and smoking can hamper the working capacity of youths. If productive youth force is not built up, it would be tough to make Smart Bangladesh, he said, calling for taking necessary action in this regard.
In her address, Nuzhat Yeasmin, Managing Director of Bangladesh Film Development Corporation, said FDC is eager to provide all kinds of support in making a tobacco free Bangladesh.
Anti-tobacco campaigner Advocate Syed Mahbubul Alam, Senior Technical Advisor, Vital Strategies, said, we cannot tolerate those things, which cause damage to our society.
SM Golam Kibria, Director General of DFP, who attended as the chief guest, stressed on strict enforcement of anti-tobacco law in the national interest. If needed, the law can be amended for saving the youths, who need to be protected in the interest of making Smart Bangladesh.
The chief guest also called for conducting awareness raising activities across the country.
Prominent anti-tobacco campaigner Prof. Dr. Arup Ratan Chowdhury, founder President of Manas, while presiding over the event, observed that the proper enforcement of the law is required for ensuring healthy lifestyle among people, which can help achieve the target of tobacco free Bangladesh by 2040.
If we want a drug and tobacco free country, it is needed to properly implement the anti-tobacco law, said Dr Arup, seeking supports of all concerned in this regard.
Mohammad Ali Sarker, Director (Admin and Publication) of DFP; Khaleda Begum, Vice Chairman, Bangladesh Film Censor Board; other officials of DFP, Dhaka DC office, Film Censor Board, FDC, Dhaka Ahsania Mission, National Heatrt Foundaion and others were present at the event.
Messenger/Mumu
