The Role of Consumer Protection Associations in Protecting Consumers

Abstract

The role of consumer protection associations can be summarized in a simple idea: an agreement aimed at achieving continuous cooperation between two or more people to use their activities or information for purposes other than profit distribution. Consumer protection associations play a leading and effective role in defending the interests of the consumer public. They have become social pressure groups that influence the legislator to adopt protective policies. They also form a pressure group on professionals through methods or ways to protect the collective interest of consumers, such as anti-advertising against projects that harm consumers or through boycotts of certain products or services. Additionally, they refuse to pay for products or services that are overpriced without prior notice.

A comparative scientific approach was used in this study to compare the role assigned to consumer protection associations in Iraqi law with their counterparts (Iraqi Consumer Protection Law No. (1) of 2010), especially in Egyptian law (Egyptian Consumer Protection Law No. (181) of 2018), due to the similarity of the legal, economic, and social environment in Egypt and Iraq. The aim was to find the most effective solutions to the research problem and provide appropriate recommendations to the concerned authorities.