Consumer rights getting violated in every step

Although the country has different laws to ensure interests of consumers but only few of them are being implemented causing a massive violation of consumers’ rights in every sector. Consumers Association of Bangladesh President Golam Rahman shared his views with The Business Post correspondent Rokon Mahmud

What is the significance of the World Consumer Rights Day?

Golam Rahman: After the Liberation War in 1971, different laws were formulated at different time to secure the rights of consumers but still it’s being violated at almost every step. On this special day people discuss about the consumers’ rights like- four basic rights – right of safety, right to get information, right to choose and right to complaint. Consumers have eight basic rights including the mentioned four, as per the United Nations while consumers also have five duties. Although people should be careful about consumers’ right round the year but this special day boost awareness among the consumers and policy makers.

How far the consumers’ rights have been implemented currently?

Golam Rahman: Consumers’ rights are a massive issues and consumers have very short knowledge and awareness about it. We have to act against violation of consumers’ right and gather adequate knowledge about them simultaneously. Awareness campaign should be launched and laws should be implemented.

A large portion of consumers’ right will be met if the authorities managed to implement some recently formulated laws like Consumer Rights Protection Act 2009, Food Safety Act 2013, Bangladesh Competition Act, Bangladesh Water Act and Tobacco Control Act etc. More acts were formed earlier like Iodine Deficiency Disease Prevention Act, 1989 and Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission. Act etc. Besides, the country had no institutionalized structure for implementing the laws.

But the matter of hope is that, presently we have institutionalized structure for such laws – like Competition Commission, Food Safety Authority, Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI). All these organisations are working to implement the law regarding consumers’ right, so some laws are being implemented while many are yet to be implemented as these organisations have shortage of power. They also have shortage of manpower, skills and campaign.

What can be done to resolve these issues?

Golam Rahman: Law implementing institutionalized organisations should be more active and strong. We have problem from production level to

retail level. Monitoring should be increased in every level. Operating drive in the retail market won’t be enough and at the same time production

should not be hampered. Everything should be brought under a chain of rule.

Consumers’ awareness is the important issue in this section which can bring chain of rule in most of the sectors while media also have vital role to ensure accountability, campaign and coordination.

How far the basic four rights of consumers have been achieved?

Golam Rahman: Among the four basic rights, only the right to choose has been implemented properly as people can chose among the products. But when a shortage of alternative goods emerges or prices go beyond people’s buying capacity this lone right slips from the hands of the consumers.

Besides, in case of food security it has been implemented 50 per cent as the country has no food scarcity. Despite, food security has been ensured but the country has shortage of quality and safe food supply.

The matter of consumers’ awareness comes again in case of information rights. In our country most of the consumers don’t have any interest to avail information.

Questions like - which food have which ingredients or what is the expire date of the products, does the food has any harmful elements, does not occur in most of our consumers’ mind.

Finally, remains the right to complaint which witnessed much progress as people are comparatively more conscious now-a-days. Many companies have launched their hot line where number of consumers’ complaints are rising with time.