The country’s bidi workers are suffering from various complications including health hazards due to coming into contact with tobacco and tobacco products.

A study conducted by the Development Organisation of the Rural Poor (DORP) revealed that 84% of bidi workers who participated in the study reported their dissatisfaction with their work and they want to change their work and look for alternative working opportunities for various reasons particularly due to serious health hazardous of the tobacco.

At the same time, 95% of the bidi workers are dissatisfied with low wages, 68% for lack of work, 62% for harmful effects on health, 61% for hard work in bidi making and 53% workers dissatisfied as they cannot improve quality of life by working in the bidi factories for long, the study added.

The study report titled “Study Report on Bidi Workers’ Livelihood in Tangail District-2023” was presented by Mohammad Zobair Hasan Deputy Executive Director of the DORP at the Jatiya Press Club in the capital in the afternoon.

Dr Md Ziauddin, additional secretary of the health services division of the Health and Family Welfare Ministry, Md Akhteruzzaman, Coordinator (Joint Secretary) of the National Tobacco Control Cell and Dr Gazi Md Saifuzzaman, Director General of the Department of Youth Development were present among others.

DORP Executive Adviser Md. Azhar Ali Talukder chaired the event while DORP Founder and CEO AHM Nouman delivered the welcome speech.

 The study conducted among 100 bidi workers of bidi factories in Tangail district also found that 86% of workers reported an unhealthy environment in factories and 70% of workers reported a lack of breathing spaces inside the factories.

“We also explored the common health hazards experienced by the participants and found that the majority of them (85%) suffered from cough and sneeze, while 17.1% suffered from abdominal pain/swelling and chest pain or gas,” Zobair Hasan said.

This survey also reveals that almost all of the participants (97%) had no expenditure for health problems over the past 12 months and who paid for it, was an insignificant amount.

The study recommended that since the bidi workers are seriously exposed to health hazards, the government should take necessary steps to save them from this risky profession as there is a constitutional binding to protect public health. 

The existing laws and regulations to prevent child labor need to be strictly enforced. Provision of law enforcement and punishment must be practiced in appropriate cases.