Dubai: Dubai is preparing to launch a new awareness campaign that will bring the concept of consumer protection into schools, through an initiative targeting students under the umbrella of “Little Consumer”. The aim is to build early awareness of consumer rights, among children, and to introduce them to the basics of commercial transactions, so that knowing one’s right becomes part of the child’s daily behaviour before he/she becomes an independent consumer.Ahmed Ahli, Acting Director of Consumer Protection at the Dubai Consumer Protection and Fair Trade Establishment, one of the institutions of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, said that the initiative is the first of its kind, targeting young consumers by educating children within the community about their rights, and teaching them the principles of commercial transactions in a manner appropriate to their age and ability to comprehend.Ahli explained that the initiative will be launched at the beginning of the next academic year, after prior coordination with a number of schools to organise workshops. Presented by the Consumer Protection Team to students, with the aim of introducing them to and developing their knowledge of consumer rights, the initiative is set to transform the concepts related to consumer protection into simple practices that the child can apply in his/her daily life.Ahli stressed that the goal is not to provide legal information or complex concepts to children, but rather to simplify consumer rights into a set of basic rules that a child can understand and remember, noting that the workshops will address simple matters, but which form an important basis in consumer behaviour.He explained that among these principles is teaching the child the importance of keeping the receipt after purchase, reading the product's expiry date, and checking the advertised price before completing the purchase.Ahli said the initiative relies on presenting this information in a way that suits a child's mind, noting that the initiative goes beyond the idea of introducing the child to rights theoretically, moving to establish a culture of "smart shopping" by instilling a set of simple habits.He stated that keeping the receipt, for example, is not just a routine procedure, but a means of proving the purchase when needed, noting that reading the expiry date is not additional information, but rather a basic step before buying the product. Likewise, knowing the price and verifying it means that the child has begun to realise that he has a role in the purchase process and is not just a recipient of the product.He added: “From here, the initiative tries to make the child gradually understand that the consumer has rights, and that knowing these rights begins with paying attention, making sure, and asking questions.”Ahli stated that, as part of the initiative, the Dubai Consumer Protection and Fair Trade Foundation is working on preparing a booklet for students entitled “Little Consumer,” which is currently in the approval and printing stage, to be used during school workshops.He explained that the booklet will be for children and free of charge, and will include the basic principles of consumer protection in a simplified manner. It will be a support tool for workshops, as the simplified nature of the booklet helps in conveying the basic messages to the child in a direct way, through examples and situations that he/she can understand and link to their experiences while shopping with his/her family.Ahli pointed out that the importance of this step lies in the fact that the child will not be satisfied with just hearing the information inside the workshop, but will have content that he/she can refer back to, which enhances the chances of the information turning into recurring behaviour.He revealed a plan to implement about 90 workshops in schools during the second half of the next academic year, with the workshops to be distributed among the schools that have been coordinated with in advance.Ahli stated that the workshops will feature the direct presence of the Consumer Protection team within the schools, allowing students to interact, ask questions, and learn about their rights through practical examples, rather than simply receiving information. He added that the targeted number of workshops reflects a desire to expand the initiative and reach a wider segment of students, ensuring that consumer protection awareness is not limited to a select group but becomes an integral part of school education.He pointed out that the idea of raising awareness among students did not begin with the school year, as the summer vacation witnessed, in cooperation with “Modhesh City”, the organisation of frequent workshops for children on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, explaining that these workshops included questions and interaction with school students, in addition to presenting prizes, and the goal was to introduce the “young consumer” to how to deal while shopping, and to encourage him/her to think and check before making a purchase decision.Dubai Consumer Protection confirmed during an inspection tour at Dubai Hills Mall recently, as part of the annual "Back to School" campaign, that field monitoring operations are continuing at various retail outlets in the emirate, with a focus on the extent to which establishments comply with the requirements regulating prices and promotional offers, and protecting consumers from any practices that may affect the clarity of prices or the nature of advertised discounts.
