Staff Reporter :
Voices for Interactive Choice & Empowerment, a rights organisation working on the development issues, accused British American Tobacco Bangladesh of death marketing through sponsoring events like Battle of Minds.The Grand Finale of Battle of Minds 2020, a recruitment initiative, was held on December 15 in Dhaka with the sponsorship of British American Tobacco Bangladesh.
Through sponsorship event like Battle of Minds, BATB is doing death marketing leading the youth into smoke-trap, said a press release issued by the organisation on Monday.
The programme is violating section 5 of the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Act, 2013, as well as WHO FCTC Article 5.3, it said.
Section 5.1 of the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act 2005 bans all forms of sponsorship or awards for tobacco promotion or advertisement to inspire its consumption, the rights group pointed out. According to section 5.3 of the law, using tobacco company name, sign, trademark or logo for social activities is also a punishable offence, it said. ‘The tobacco companies are using different CSR initiatives to promote their organisation, which is a violation of the law. We thus want that our law and policymakers look upon this issue and take necessary steps to stop promotional activities of the tobacco companies,’ Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, executive director of VOICE, said in a statement.
Voices for Interactive Choice & Empowerment, a rights organisation working on the development issues, accused British American Tobacco Bangladesh of death marketing through sponsoring events like Battle of Minds.The Grand Finale of Battle of Minds 2020, a recruitment initiative, was held on December 15 in Dhaka with the sponsorship of British American Tobacco Bangladesh.
Through sponsorship event like Battle of Minds, BATB is doing death marketing leading the youth into smoke-trap, said a press release issued by the organisation on Monday.
The programme is violating section 5 of the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Act, 2013, as well as WHO FCTC Article 5.3, it said.
Section 5.1 of the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act 2005 bans all forms of sponsorship or awards for tobacco promotion or advertisement to inspire its consumption, the rights group pointed out. According to section 5.3 of the law, using tobacco company name, sign, trademark or logo for social activities is also a punishable offence, it said. ‘The tobacco companies are using different CSR initiatives to promote their organisation, which is a violation of the law. We thus want that our law and policymakers look upon this issue and take necessary steps to stop promotional activities of the tobacco companies,’ Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, executive director of VOICE, said in a statement.
