World Consumers Rights Day
Dr Arvind Kumar
World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD), observed on 15 March every year, is an annual occasion for celebration and solidarity within the international consumer movement. The theme for World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) 2012 is Our money, our rights: campaigning for real choice in financial services. On 15 March 2012 the global consumer movement will be uniting to demand a real choice for consumers. In the lead up to the big day, Consumers International (CI) will working with its members to take action on the issue, and highlighting activity around the world.
It is a time for promoting the basic rights of all consumers, for demanding that those rights are respected and protected, protesting the market abuses and social injustices which undermine them. On 15 March 1963, President John F Kennedy gave an address to the US congress in which he formally addressed the issue of consumer rights. He was the first world leader to do so, and the consumer movement now marks 15 March every year as a means of raising global awareness about consumer rights. On 19 April 1985, the United Nations’ General Assembly adopted the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection, elevating consumer rights to a position of international recognition and legitimacy, yet they continue to be ignored or trivialized by governments, producers, service providers and those with powerful positions.
In 2010 consumers were restating their rights, ensuring that all related parties know this undisputed fact.
