16 March 2019, Apia Samoa. The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour celebrated World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) in Samoa on 15 March focusing on the theme set by the Consumer International (CI) Organization, ‘Trust Smart Products’. To coincide with the WCRD activity, the Ministry is also promoting its services to boost awareness of the young generation.
World Consumer Rights Day is an annual event, to celebrate the international consumer movement, and raise awareness of the eight basic rights of all consumers and emphasizing that those rights be respected and protected.
Those eight basic rights are;
- Right to safety,
- Right to information,
- Right to choose,
- Right to representation,
- Right to satisfaction of basic needs,
- Right to redress,
- Right to a healthy environment,
- Right to consumer education.
WCRD was first celebrated in Samoa in 1998 when the Government passed into law, the “Fair Trading Act 1998” with its objective of protecting the rights and interests of consumers. These rights have been subsequently updated and enhanced in the current Competition and Consumer Act (CCA) 2016.
This year is the 21st year since World Consumer Rights Day has been celebrated in Samoa and is commemorated every year on 15th March.
In the past three years, the Ministry has held similar awareness programs for the general community. However, because of the importance of this year’s WCRD theme, we decided that we should take our message to colleges and secondary schools where there is a strong connection with users of smart products.
Global adoption of smart products has increased rapidly and becoming more of a daily reality for consumers everywhere. The emergence of smart technology brings many opportunities for consumers; access to new services, more products that are responsive, greater convenience and choice. However with those opportunities also come some significant causes for concern; lack of security, privacy and meaningful choice over how we use them, as well as lack of clarity about who is responsible when things go wrong. Hence, the crucial opportunity to target school students who are the popular users of smart products.
O le aso faapitoa mo Aia Tatau a Tagata Faaaoga Oloa o le Lalolagi, o se aso e faamanatuina i tausaga taitasi i le aso 15 o Mati. O loo faamanatuina e le Matagaluega o Pisinisi, Alamanuia ma Leipa lenei aso faapitoa e ala i polokalame faalea’oa’oga i aoga maualuluga i le atunuu. O le sini filifilia faavaomalo mo lenei tausaga, ‘Faamoemoeina ma le lelei atoatoa o oloa faatekonolosi’. O le avanoa taua lenei o loo faalauiloa faatasi ai le sini autu mo lenei aso faapitoa ma le faalauiloaina atili o auaunaga a le Matagaluega mo le malamalama o fanau aoga.
O lenei Aso Faapitoa mo Tagata Faatau ma Faaaoga Oloa o le Lalolagi sa amata faamamaluina i Samoa i le tausaga e 1998 ina ua pasiaina le Tulafono o Fefaatauaiga Talafeagai 1998; o lona sini autu o le puipuiga lea o aia tatau ma naunautaiga o tagata faatau ma faaaoga oloa. O le taimi nei ua toe teuteuina ma faalauteleina nei aia tatau i le Tulafono o Faiga Faatauvaga ma le Puipuiga o Tagata e Faaaogaina Oloa ma Auaunaga 2016 ua suia ai le Tulafono o Fefaatauaiga Talafeagai 1998.
O aia tatau la nei e valu (8);
- Aia Tatau i oloa ma auaunaga saogalemu
- Aia Tatau i faamatalaga o oloa ma auaunaga (Right to information),
- Aia Tatau e filifili ai i oloa lelei ma auaunaga talafeagai ma lou manao
- Aia Tatau faa-le-tulafono
- Aia Tatau mo le faamalieina o manaoga masani
- Aia Tatau e toe faaleleia ai se oloa, toe sui ma se oloa, poo le toe totogi foi o se oloa poo se auaunaga ua le talafeagai
- Aia Tatau i se siosiomaga mama
- Aia Tatau ia Aoaoina
O le luasefulu ma le tasi (21) ai lenei o tausaga talu ona faamanatu lenei aso faapitoa i Samoa nei.
Sa faatautaia nisi o polokalame faalauiloa a le Matagaluega e faamanatuina ai lenei aso faapitoa tausaga ua mavae ma sa ave ai le faamamafa i tagata lautele i nuu ma afioaga. Peitai, o lenei tausaga ua filifilia tamaiti aoaga i aoga maualuluga ona e manatu o i latou nei o loo lava le silafia a tele ina faaaogaina oloa ma auaunaga faatekonolosi.
Ua maitauina le faatupulaia o le faaaogaina o auaunaga ma oloa faatekonolosi i ona po nei, E iai itu aoga ma taua mo tagata o loo faaaogaina pei o le tele o filifiliga i nisi o mea fou, televave, maua i soo se taimi ma isi. O loo maitauina foi e iai itu e ao ona nofouta iai ma moomia ai puipuiga faa-le-tagata faatau e pei: o le lē malu puipuia i nisi o taimi, utiuti le malamalama e ao ina filifili lelei ai aemaise o le lē silafia o auaunaga ma fesoasoani pe a tulai mai ai se faaletonu. E talitonu le Matagaluega, o le a aoga tele le polokalme i aoga ua filifilia mo le faalauiloaina ai o latou aia tatau faa tagata faatau i le faaaogaina o oloa ma auaunaga faatekonolosi.
Ia manuia le faamanatuina o le Aso ua Faapitoa mo Aia Tatau a Tagata Faatau ma Faaaoga Oloa o le Lalolagi, Aso 15 o Mati 2019.
