The Concept of Consumer Protection: An International Cultural Perspective

Abstract

The case of consumer loss does not seem to recognize national borders, not only in Indonesia and can also occur in other countries, such as the case of the Thalidomide Pill in 1950 - 1960 which is one of the empirical facts, the victims are at least spread across 40 countries. So widespread were the victims that this case was known as The Thalidomide Tragedy. In addition, in the case of Aspirin, where the giant Bayer manufacturer stated in its advertisement that all adults can take aspirin to prevent heart attacks, the June 1999 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine found that 16,500 deaths were found in the United States as a result of taking aspirin and other similar drugs. Based on the background of the above problems, the researcher attempts to research and study and analyze how the concept of consumer protection from an international cultural  perspective. The concept of consumer protection from an international perspective in this case is that the position of consumers as a weak party is recognized and protected internationally as reflected in the Resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) No.A / Res / 39/248 of 1985 concerning Guidelines for Consumer Protection (Consumer Protection Guidelines). The UN resolution issued on April 16, 1985 requires that consumers wherever they are, from all nations, have certain basic rights, regardless of social status. There is also what is meant by basic rights, namely the right to obtain security and safety, the right to vote, the right to be heard, the right to get compensation, the right to obtain basic human needs, the right to have a good and clean environment and the right to get basic education. The United Nations calls on all its members to enforce these consumer rights in their respective countries.