World Consumer Rights Day

March 15 is an annual occasion for celebrating World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD), with a purpose to show solidarity with consumer movement. It is to promote the basic rights of consumers to demand their rights of being respected and protected. It is also a day to highlight the abuse of consumer rights, unethical practices, lack of legislation and regulatory framework and to bring consumer interest in fore nationally and internationally. World Consumer Rights Day depends on local initiatives, planned and carried out by consumer organisations.
Initiatives can be special campaigns, press conferences, public exhibitions, and workshops/conferences. To commemorate WCRD in Pakistan, Pakistan Certification Bodies Association in collaboration with Helpline Trust, is organising a one-day National Conference on "Consumer Protection in Pakistan" at Karachi on Tuesday 15th March 2005.
The year 2005 marks the 23rd commemoration of the World Consumer Rights Day. This day was first observed on March 15, 1983, two decades after US President John F. Kennedy introduced the revolutionary motion of rights for consumers. "Consumers by definition, include us all," he told the US Congress in 1962.
The Bill introduced by Kennedy, included the consumer right to Safety, Information, Choice and Representation. Later on four more consumer rights were added as a result of the world-wide consumer campaign ie Redress, Education, Satisfaction of basic needs and Healthy environment.
The eight consumer rights promoted on WCRD include, right to safety, information, choice, representation, redress, education, satisfaction and healthy environment. These eight rights form the basis for ongoing work by Consumer groups world-wide and on WCRD every March 15, consumers, activists, organisations and democratic governments commemorate World Consumer Rights Day, focusing on a different issue of global and national interest each year.
Theme for 2005 is 'Consumers Say No to GMOs' (Genetically modified organisms).
WCRD this year will focus on consumer demand that GM products are labelled, International Safety Standards are followed and GM free crops are protected. Consumers are concerned and objecting to GM food, because of its risks to human health as genetic modification has not been proven safe, misleading claims about benefits of GMO's to farmers and increased control of food chain by corporate sector.
GMO's are a result of GM (Genetic Modification) techniques, in which genes are transferred between unrelated species. GM technology breaks existing species boundaries, which is a major modification and is completely different from the existing conventional breeding techniques.
Consumer demand right to be informed is respected, which means information about safety of GMOs, mandatory labelling of GM Food and guaranteed protection for survival and availability of organic crops, in countries where GM crops are already being grown.
Internationally, on this WCRD representatives from consumers groups will demand actions for mandatory labeling of GM foods are adopted by Codex and national governments, implementation of international safety guidelines, enacting legislation to prevent contamination of non-GM crops.
Consumers are the largest economic group which is affected and affects every public and private economic decision, but the importance given to them is either negligible or in certain cases not being heard at all.
Consumer though more and more self guarded are still suffering unavoidable threats. The market place is filled with fake and inferior products, supplemented by misleading advertisement, brand infringement and lack or non-existent regulatory mechanism with respect to quality and enforcement. Rampant corruption and lack of will in regulatory areas is one of the biggest hurdle in consumer protection.
Take any of the daily issues such as utilities, clothes, food, housing, health, education and it is easy to find in many aspects of cheating, counterfeiting and shoddy goods and services. We have become accustomed to drinking pure water from clear and clean barrels put on the drinking machine, whereas, little we know about the quality, production processes of so called mineral water.
Medicines bought may have expired long ago. Apartment may leak or crack soon after people move in. Fake auto parts can be easily bought in broad daylight at the biggest commercial centers of Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Peshawer. Market are filled with cheap CDs and DVDs and while strolling around in busy shopping areas throughout the country one can find reasonably priced goods attached with big brand names. Ordinary consumer surrounded by so many threats, can never feel assured about what is bought is real and reliable.
In the Year 2005 we must make a solemn declaration as Pakistanis, to advocate a well knitted legal system supported by a well respected credibility system. Every Pakistani should be sincere, loyal and stable. Some people might wonder how much help this will be, but just like any other policy, we have to pin our hopes and take a start one day. Let this day become consumers' day in a sense that consumer in the market place does not feel cheated after doing a deal.
(The writer is the President of PCBA)