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Condoms company attracts wrath of human rights panel for selling leaking latex

The Confederation of Human Rights Organisations, Kerala, has alleged that a public sector undertaking sold 900,000 'expired' condoms in Punjab during 1995-96 and the officers who had protested to the company were victimised.

The confederation, in a complaint to National Human Rights Commission chairman Justice M N Venkatachaliah, said the company had committed a serious human rights violation with its ''unethical and dangerous marketing practices''.

Condoms, according to the standards of production, have a three-year shelf-life. Past its expiry date, condoms develop micro holes through which the micro-organisms can get in to cause infections.

''The role of condoms as a barrier against the transmission of HIV/AIDS through sex is a deep-rooted fact among the population. National AIDS Control Organisation and other governmental and non-governmental organisations through the mass media and other means are propagating the message that condoms can prevent HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases.

''The role of condoms in preventing the spread of Hepatitis-B is also well known. This points to the fact that the condom is not a mere latex sheath but a life-saving device,'' the confederation said.

The human rights organisation said that some of the ''expired'' condoms were ''illegally repacked in unauthorised wallets with the brand name by some corrupt officials''. The rest of the ''expired'' condoms were pasted with false manufacturing and expiry dates and inflated maximum retail price and sold all over Punjab by the company's distributor in Ludhiana, the confederation alleged.

It claimed that one of the company's executives posted in Punjab pointed out the irregularity to the management and was replaced. The officer who replaced him also raised it up with the management and was posted to Manipur.

The organisation said because of prevailing social inhibitions, customers rarely bothered to verify the expiry date with shopkeepers or get bills for the product.

It urged the NHRC to institute a detailed inquiry into the entire episode and as per its findings instruct the government to take action against the erring officials.

UNI

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