Conflict Resolution Center continues holding awareness workshops for women

Nablus, Publication and Information Unit:
Within the project "Active citizenship in activating consumer protection procedures", carried out by the Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution in partnership with Catholic Relief Services and in cooperation with the consumer protection department at the Ministry of National Economy, the Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution continues to hold workshops with women's associations in several West Bank governorates.
Issam Odeh, coordinator of the Active Citizenship project, pointed out that a number of awareness workshops have been held in Nablus, Jenin, Ramallah, Tulkarm, Salfit, Qalqilya and Tubas.
He explained that the aim of these workshops is to increase women's awareness when shopping and buying goods: to pay attention to the label in Arabic and to check the product's expiry date, in order to protect them from fraud and deception when consuming basic items such as food or medicine and to avoid any material or moral harm.
The workshops addressed several subjects relating to food safety and its safe qualities, the types of contamination that affect food and how to avoid them, as well as the importance of obtaining a purchase receipt, since every trader or seller of goods is obliged to provide the consumer with a receipt for the goods to be bought. This is one of the eight rights guaranteed by the Palestinian consumer protection law,
Odeh reminded the women taking part in the workshops of the need to report any spoiled goods and any trader not abiding by the consumer protection law, by calling the Ministry of National Economy's direct line, 1700300300.
In the same context, the director of the Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution, Nablus branch, Ahmed Abu Ayyash, pointed to the social responsibility resting on all civil society organisations to make consumers aware of the rights guaranteed to them by Palestinian law and of the monitoring and inspection role of the bodies concerned, particularly the Ministry of National Economy. He stressed the Centre's role in preparing a comprehensive national plan for consumer protection, through a specialised expert, that helps regulate the Palestinian market in an organised and effective way.
It is worth noting that these awareness workshops for women's associations form part of a national campaign carried out by the Palestinian Center in seven governorates in cooperation with the Ministry of National Economy, and come as a continuation of earlier activities, the most prominent being the Palestinian Consumer Day events and the awareness-raising tours aimed at a clean market, a committed trader and a smart consumer.