HUMAN RIGHTS

Kavya Gupta
2BAllb
21212095

The conglomeration of ideas of human rights, consumerism and youths

encompasses the perennial need of understanding human rights in its right
perspective and its serious association and onslaught on the modus operandi of
social, economic and political phenomena of a particular society. The inter-related
idea of human rights vis-à-vis consumerism and youth , though appears to be a
complex concept, needs to be dealt with all seriousness in the era of liberalization,
privatization and globalization.
The right to life envisaged in the international declaration and covenants finds
place in article 21 of the Indian Constitution. HUMAN rights are the basis on
which civil society moves towards an advanced state of social development. At
every juncture the preservation and protection of human rights is a prime concern
of a modern society. With the passage of time, new rights have been included in
the widening scope of human rights to ensure justice and personal freedom. Today,
the citizen is also armed with a set of consumer rights, which are a strong
contender for inclusion within the scope of human rights.Actually, there is no
dichotomy between citizens and consumers, since consumers as members of civil
society have obligations and responsibilities, besides having a set of rights.‘A
customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us,
we are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work, he is the purpose
of it. He is not an outsider in our business, he is a part of it. We are not doing him a
favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do
so.’It was Mahatma Gandhi who rightly defined a consumer thus, well before the
rise of any consumer movement. Gandhi ji placed the consumer right at the center
of a business set-up, thus underscoring the popular saying, ‘consumer is king’. The
modern consumer movement also owes its success to the pioneer American
consumer activist Ralph Nader, whose leadership, resourcefulness, and sheer
persistence changed the equation between the consumer and the providers of goods
and services. He has been at the forefront of scores of progressive campaigns
during the past few decades. Who is a consumer? Irrespective of who or where we
are, we are all consumers. More and more, what is defining consumers is the way
they consume. Consumer rights are a popular concept in our increasingly
consumerism driven society. The conflict of interest between consumers and the
business organizations have forced the framing of consumer rights and laws,
despite which malpractices continue to occur, even while constant efforts are on to
protect the interests of both buyers and sellers with the help of a legal system
which has evolved as a result of the consumer movement. The movement has
gained momentum in India during the last few years, and today it is a force to
reckon with. Thus, it is the right time to recognize and accept the hypothesis that
consumer rights fall within the purview of human rights.
It “encompasses in its gamut variety of rights and interests and does not merely
mean animal existence, but life with human dignity “. The consumer justice is one
facet of right to life guaranteed by the Indian Constitution in its preamble, article
21 and philosophy. In India consumer justice is part of social and economic justice
as enunciated in the Indian constitution. Following the constitutional mandate a
number of legislations have been enacted in the field of consumer protection
relating to standardization grading packaging and branding prevention of food
adulteration, short weights and measures and holding and profiteering etc., In
recent years there has been an increasing public concern over the consumer
protection issues in all over the world. The taking in to a/c of the interest and
needs of consumers in all countries particularly in those in developing the
consumer protection measures should essentially concerned with:
● The protection from hazards to health and safety
● The promotion and protection of economic interest
● Access to an adequate information
● Control of misleading advertisement and deceptive representation
● Consumer education
● The effective Consumer Redress