Draft Bill on Consumer Protection Provides Protection for Special Groups

Discussions on the Revision of the law amending Law No. 8 of 1999 on Consumer Protection (“Law 8/1999”) are still ongoing between the Government and Indonesia’s House of Representatives (DPR). One of the new substantive issues being discussed in the revision of the legislation is the strengthening of protection for consumer groups with special needs.

“The developments have been highly dynamic. Most recently, provisions concerning the rights of parents and older persons have been included,” said Moga Simatupang, Director General of Consumer Protection and Trade Compliance at the Ministry of Trade.

Moga explained that the proposed legislation grants consumers the right to receive special services where they have needs or abilities that differ from those of the general public. This provision constitutes one of the new matters incorporated into the deliberations on Draft Bill (“Draft Bill”) on Consumer Protection.

According to the Draft Bill on Consumer Protection obtained by Hukumonline, this provision is set out in Article 7 letter l, which provides that consumers are entitled to receive special services where they have abilities that differ from those of the general public. The elucidation of the article specifies that the groups referred to include persons with disabilities, older persons, and pregnant women.

In addition to regulating consumers' rights, the Draft Bill also prescribes obligations for business actors. This requirement is set out in Article 10 paragraph (1) letter h, which obliges business actors to provide services to consumers without discrimination.