A. M. 
The president of the Defensoría del Consumidor, Ricardo Salazar, announced the launch of the 2026 Audiovisual Competition, “Consumer Protection in the Safety of Products and Services”, an initiative aimed at university students that seeks to promote awareness and understanding of consumer rights in the country.
The official explained that the activity is part of the actions promoted within the framework of World Consumer Rights Day, commemorated on march 15, with the goal of raising public awareness of product safety.
Awareness of risks in products and services
According to Salazar, the competition seeks to encourage university students to produce audiovisual content that clearly and creatively explains the risks that can exist when products do not meet adequate safety standards.
“The issue of product safety is crucial, essential, and has great potential to save lives and prevent consumer risks”, he said. As an example, he mentioned that the market may contain items that pose dangers to consumers, such as poor-quality tires, defective airbags, or toys with parts that can detach—situations that can cause accidents or affect people’s safety.
Reforms strengthen consumer protection
The head of the Defensoría del Consumidor also highlighted that the country has a strengthened legal framework following the 2024 reforms to the Consumer Protection Law, which incorporated a specific chapter related to product safety.
These provisions allow for clearer procedures when items that may pose risks to the public are detected and define the obligations that suppliers must fulfill.
According to Salazar, thanks to these mechanisms, the agency has issued more than 130 consumer alerts and has removed more than 860 products from the market that posed risks to consumers.
“This provides clarity to suppliers on how they should act when a product recall is detected and establishes their obligations. Furthermore, it allows us to apply sanctions if they do not comply with this regulatory framework”, he said.
Call for entries open until april 30
The call for entries is aimed at university students interested in developing audiovisual proposals related to product and service safety and the promotion of consumer rights.
Participants will have until midnight on april 30 to submit their proposals. The contest rules will be available on the Defensoría del Consumidor´s official website.
With this initiative, the institution seeks to involve universities in disseminating information on safe consumption, as well as fostering a greater culture of prevention and responsibility in the market.
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