FAISALABAD. Fifty per cent of the respondents of a survey conducted to assess consumer awareness on consumer protection laws in Faisalabad believe no such law exists in Pakistan, with only 2% being aware of the national law on consumer protection.
The survey has been conducted by Faisalabad Citizen Forum for Consumer Protection. The survey was a first-ever comprehensive attempt to highlight consumer awareness level on consumer protection laws in the city. It has been expressed in a press release issued by FCF on Saturday. The results of the survey are indicative of alarming trends with reference to awareness about consumer rights.
According to survey a few respondents know about at least one of their rights as a consumer but majority has no knowledge about their rights at all. Moreover, awareness on consumer redress mechanism is also alarmingly low only 3% of respondents know about consumer redress mechanism while others do not know where to address their complaints and do not have any knowledge on consumer redress mechanism. The Survey highlights lack of commitment to consumer education and the lower will of government to popularize the working of consumer protection.
It has been proposed in the survey that expansion of consumer mechanism should be extended throughout the country, consumer education should be added in the curriculum from 6th class, amendments in consumer related laws should be made on priority basis for dispensing of justice under one umbrella i.e. Consumer Court, special Bench for consumer’s affairs should be constituted in superior judiciary for speedy disposal of appeals, separate Ministry / Division at Federal level should be established for uniformity of consumer issues, as established in our neighbor country India.
In the concluded words of survey report it has been recommended that Faisalabad, Dist. Consumer Protection Council is progressively working for the uplift of consumer protection, as through the working of this office 2863 cases were filled in the Consumer Court and this number is more higher then Rawalpindi where 510 cases were filled. It has been indicated in the FCF survey that Faisalabad is a big consumer market and the local office of DCPC should be given funds for media campaign, arranging functions, seminars, and working for establishing Consumer Protection Clubs so that a large number of consumers could be acquainted with consumer protection laws.