World Consumer Rights Day (15/03)





At that time, the President's speech formulated four basic consumer rights:

— right to security, — right to information, — right to choose, — right to be heard.

Four more were later added to them:

— right to compensation for damages, — right to consumer education, — right to meet basic needs, — right to a healthy environment.

The Day was first celebrated on March 15, 1983, when it was enshrined in the international holiday calendar as World Consumer Rights Day, and has been held annually since then. Moreover, the Day’s events every year are dedicated to a specific topic, which is approved by the World Organization of Consumer Unions.

Consumer International (CI) — is an independent non-profit organization that dates back to 1961 and brings together more than 200 public and government organizations involved in consumer protection issues from 72 countries. It protects the interests of consumers around the world, contributes to the development of the social consumer movement and the consumer protection system as a whole. Represents the interests of consumers in UNESCO, UN structures, and a number of other international organizations with an economic and social orientation, and also provides assistance to its members in training specialists and providing information in the field of consumer protection.

In Russia, Consumer Rights Day received recognition after the adoption of Law № 2300-1 «On the Protection of Consumer Rights» on February 7, 1992. The Law regulates relations between consumers and manufacturers, importers, performers, sellers when selling goods (performing work, providing services), establishes the rights of consumers to purchase goods (work, services) of adequate quality and safe for life, health, consumer property and the environment, obtaining information about goods (works, services) and their manufacturers (performers, sellers), education, state and public protection of their interests, and also the mechanism for the implementation of these rights is determined.

The World Organization of Consumer Unions protects the interests of consumers around the world, promotes the development of the social consumer movement and the consumer protection system as a whole (Photo: Gunnar Pippel, licensed by Shutterstock.com)

The main defender of consumer rights in Russia is the Consumer Union of the Russian Federation (CPRF), created in December 1990. Currently, the SPRF unites over 100 republican, regional, regional, city and district public associations — most of all consumer rights protection organizations actually operating in Russia. Over the years, more than a million citizens who applied to the SPRF, whose consumer rights were violated, received qualified legal assistance.

Also, in recent years, regional departments of Rospotrebnadzor of the Russian Federation have been participating in events dedicated to Consumer Rights Day. Traditionally, in many Russian cities, specialists from this body hold «hotlines» and press conferences on issues of consumer protection and sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population.



• Infographics – poster «March 15 — World Consumer Day» • Story «Consumer Manifesto»

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