A month-long campaign has been launched to keep public spaces 100% smoke-free. Photo: BSS

DHAKA, Jan 26, 2025 (BSS) - The government has started a month-long campaign with the aim of keeping the public places cent percent smoking-free.

An advertisement created as part of the campaign titled 'Cent Percent Smoking-Free Public Places' with the technical support of 'Vital Strategies' will be broadcast on Bangladesh Television and on social platforms through 'Stop Tobacco Bangladesh' programme.

Besides, various contents will be created and posted on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube, focusing on this month-long campaign, said a press release.

The advertisements will show smoking, its indirect effects, and the harmful effects of smoking in front of women, children, and the elderly in a public places.

Senior Consultant of Vital Strategies Md Shafiqul Islam said smoking in public places is a source of embarrassment for non-smokers. Public places need to be made 100 percent smoking-free to protect non-smokers, including children and women, he said, adding the existing tobacco control laws and campaigns need to be urgently amended.

According to the press release, bidi-cigarette smoke contains more than 7000 harmful chemicals, of which 250 are fatal and more than 70 are associated with causing cancer in the human body. Indirect smoking increases the risk of fatal diseases such as heart disease, stroke, chronic lung diseases (emphysema, asthma) and diabetes. 

In addition, more than 1.3 million people die annually in the world due to the effects of indirect smoking, and according to research by the Bangladesh Cancer Society, about 26,000 people die annually in Bangladesh.