A damning report on market surveillance of children’s toys showed the need for improved enforcement “across the board”, consumer lawyer Antoine Grima told the Times of Malta.
“Most of the time when something dangerous is discovered on the market, a warning is issued, but what about those who miss it – what protection are they being afforded? How are we sure these items are all taken off the market? We deserve better enforcement,” said Dr Grima.
The former head of the Consumers’ Association and a lecturer on Consumer Law at the University of Malta, Dr Grima was contacted by this newspaper for his reaction to a National Audit Office report, published earlier this week, which exposed how products targeting children could be slipping through the authorities’ testing ‘net’.
The NAO conducted a performance audit on the market surveillance of toys and childcare items, including clothing.
The audit revealed authorities could not cope with the wide range of products on the market.
In fact, just 13 different children’s products that were of concern were removed from the market between 2014 and 2016.
A Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority spokeswoman said it would be reacting to the report in due course.
Meanwhile, Dr Grima said the report raised concerns about enforcement which he and the consumer association had long been flagging.
“This boils down to the authorities’ ability to enforce the law and protect consumers. You can have authorities and you can write laws, but unless the authorities are given the resources they need to enforce this law, they might as well not bother writing them in the first place,” he said.
The same was true, he added, of the authorities’ ability to investigate.
This, Dr Grima said, applied across the board on consumer rights issues, where large patches of different markets were left relatively unmonitored.
How much of a concern are the lack of checks on children’s’ items?
According to Mater Dei Hospital data, 24 children younger than 12 were injured using children’s’ products. The report also weighed in on pesticides tests being conducted by the authorities which the NAO felt was taking too long and exposing consumers to the possibility of eating fruit and veg with excessive pesticide residues.
“Again, here we see how enforcement exists but is not taken seriously,” Dr Grima said.
The MCCAA said it would be replying to questions sent on this matter today.