Pakistan

Half of Islooites unaware of consumer protection laws: study

More than half of locals also do not know where to lodge complaints.

Our Correspondent March 12, 2013

Most Islamabad based people have little or no knowledge about the available consumer protection laws in the country. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD:

Almost 50% of Islamabad residents do not have knowledge of existing consumer protection laws, while 56% do not know where to address their complaints.

These were among the findings of a survey by TheNetwork for Consumer Protection, which was released on Tuesday.

According to a press release, the purpose of the survey was to assess consumer awareness of consumer protection laws in Islamabad.

The capital has the oldest existing consumer protection law, which was enacted in 1995, but many are still ignorant of it, according to the survey.

The Network for Consumer Protection published the report ahead of World Consumer Rights Day on March 15 as part of the consumer movement’s demands for the revision of UN guidelines on consumer protection.

Among the specific questions asked, “Is there any law for consumer protection in Islamabad?” saw 50% of respondents say that there is no such law, while 33% of respondents said they were unsure, and only 17% were aware of existing national laws.

When asked “what are the rights of a consumer”, 66% of respondents identified at least one of the rights, but 33% had no knowledge of any of their rights.

Another important question on awareness of consumer redressed mechanism, only 10% of respondents knew about it.

Of them, 56% did not know where to address their complaints.

TheNetwork Executive Coordinator Nadeem Iqbal said, “The ‘Islamabad Consumer Protection Laws Survey’ is the first ever comprehensive attempt to highlight consumer awareness level on consumer protection laws.”

The study significantly highlights the lack of commitment to consumer education, he said, adding that there is a lack of commitment to consumer education, as only few countries incorporated consumer education content in national school curricula and only 40% of governments monitor the awareness of consumer rights within their borders.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 13^th, 2013.