Kapito condemns shop owners who force women to surrender handbags at counter
The Consumers Association of Malawi (CAMA) is condemning “in strongest terms” shop owners who are forcing customers to surrender hand bags at the reception or counters when they want to purchase goods.
CAMA’s Executive Director John Kapito describes the practice as not only unethical and abusive but also demeaning especially to women.
“While we may believe that this is a security measure, CAMA as a consumers’ watch body is of the view that the shop owners are targeting women simply to embarrass and intimidate them,” he says.
Kapito says the shop owners should put in place security measures which are legal and cannot cause pain and anxiety amongst women shoppers.
“Most of the handbags that women carry do have personal items such as money, and other important information that cannot be surrendered to any other person and they must not be forced to do so,” he says.
Kapito has observed that the practice is mainly common among Indian and Chinese shops and he is requesting the owners “who are using these unfriendly and dehumanizing security checks” to stop immediately and identify other forms of security checks in their shops.
He says if anything, they should just close their shops or allow only their friends and families to buy from them.
Kapit oalso warmed the shop owners who won’t take heed to the call that his organization will publish the name of all the shops “that are using these draconian security checks and will advise consumers not to buy goods and seeks any service from such shops.”
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