As morning begins, ten-year-old Mahi shoulders his schoolbag and walks towards school. His mother, Lutfa Akter, walks beside him. But there is no familiar smile or joy on their faces. Mahi’s coughing has already started, and he is struggling to breathe. Smoke from people smoking on both sides of the road fills the air and enters his lungs.

Lutfa said: “As soon as morning comes, my son starts coughing. His sleep is interrupted several times at night. When we take him to the doctor, they prescribe medicines and a nebulizer, but he is not getting better.

“At home, my husband and brother-in-law smoke. Even when he goes to play on the balcony, the smoke reaches him. And whenever we go outside, the smoke is everywhere—on the streets, in the alleys, and even around the school.”

She added: “The law says it is illegal to smoke in front of children, but who will enforce that law inside the house or outside?”

This question reflects the reality of the country. Bangladesh has laws to control smoking and provisions for punishment, but how much protection these laws actually provide to children remains a major question. Even when parents do not smoke themselves, the poison of secondhand smoke enters their children’s bodies. Doctors call it a silent killer.

Smoking is harmful to health—this is nothing new. But it is not only those who hold cigarettes who are at risk. Its invisible companion, secondhand smoke, also known as passive smoking, is equally dangerous to physical health. This impact is particularly severe for children.

Secondhand smoke means that even if a person does not smoke, smoke from someone nearby using cigarettes, bidis, or other tobacco products enters their lungs. This smoke contains more than 4,000 chemical substances, at least 60 of which are cancer-causing. As children’s bodies are still developing, these toxins harm them faster and more deeply.

Research conducted in recent years has left little room to deny this alarming reality. In primary schools across the city, 92% of children tested showed high levels of nicotine in their saliva, indicating exposure to secondhand smoke. More than 61,000 children under the age of 15 are currently suffering from various illnesses caused by such exposure.

A study titled “The Effect of Adult Smoking Behavior on Children’s Exposure to Secondhand Smoke” found that children in major South Asian cities are heavily exposed to secondhand smoke.

Around 95.7% of children in these areas were found to have cotinine—a reliable biomarker of tobacco smoke—in their bodies, providing direct evidence of exposure.

The study was conducted in Dhaka and Karachi, where the saliva of children aged 9 to 14 was tested. In Dhaka, 92% of sampled children had cotinine in their bodies, while in Karachi the figure was 99.4%, indicating that exposure is daily, regular, and long-term.

Published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research, the study stated that secondhand smoke exposure among children is extremely widespread. Even where smoking control laws exist, poor enforcement leaves children vulnerable to serious health risks.

Against this backdrop, the government of Bangladesh issued the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, which came into effect on December 30, 2025, following the president’s approval.

The ordinance clearly states that all forms of smoking and tobacco product use are completely prohibited in public places and public transport, with fines and penalties prescribed for violations.

The law covers schools, hospitals, clinics, sports fields, children’s parks, offices, markets, and restaurants—places frequently visited by children. It also prohibits the sale of tobacco products within 100 metres of schools, hospitals, clinics, sports fields, and children’s parks.

However, the reality on the ground tells a different story. Smoking continues freely on buses, ferries, in markets, on sidewalks, and even in front of residential shops. Law enforcement presence in these areas is hardly visible. As a result, the protection promised by the law remains largely absent in practice.

Another serious issue is that the law mainly focuses on public places. There are no clear restrictions on smoking inside homes, even though research shows that children are most exposed to secondhand smoke in their own households. Smoke from fathers, brothers, relatives, or guests is often the main source, making homes—outside the reach of the law—the most dangerous places for children.

Doctors warn that keeping windows open or smoking in a separate room does not fully protect children. Smoke particles cling to clothes, curtains, and walls—a phenomenon known as thirdhand smoke. When children touch these surfaces or play on beds and floors, toxins still enter their bodies.

Protecting children is a key objective of the amended law. It prohibits the advertising, promotion, and sponsorship of tobacco products to prevent children from being encouraged to use them. Health experts note that smoking in front of children itself acts as a silent form of promotion, influencing them psychologically and increasing the risk that they may start smoking later in life.

Dr Mahmud Rahim of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases said: “The law exists, but social behaviour has not changed. Smoking in front of children is not just a health risk; it is also a social offence.”

Child specialist Dr Shirin Afroze said: “Secondhand smoke increases the risk of asthma, pneumonia, chronic cough, and other respiratory illnesses in children. Treatment costs also place families under financial strain. If the law were properly enforced, a large portion of these illnesses could be prevented.”

Dr Khandakar Mahbuba, a public health officer, added: “Bangladesh’s smoking control law looks adequate on paper, but from a child’s perspective, it remains incomplete. If smoking inside homes is not socially recognised as wrong, children will continue to be unsafe.”

Experts emphasise that smoking is not merely a personal habit but a social problem, with children as its biggest victims. Children cannot protest or make choices, yet their health suffers the most.

While law enforcement is essential, punishment alone cannot solve the problem. Experts stress the need to raise awareness within families and society. A smoke-free culture must begin at home—because enforcement agencies cannot enter every household, but parents and family members can choose to make their homes smoke-free and ensure a safe environment for children.