DON'T IMPORT USED UNDERGARMENTS (PAGE 18, NOV 30, 2010)

Over 130 used clothes dealers and importers in the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolis have been educated on the health implications that the sale of used undergarments pose to members of the public who use them.
The education was undertaken by the Ghana Standards Board (GSB), which has intensified its public education on the enforcement of the Legislative Instrument (LI) 1586, 1994 which prohibits the importation, distribution and sale of used undergarments, such as brassieres, pants, handkerchiefs and singlets.
The banned items also include, used mattresses and sanitary ware such as bathtubs, sinks, water closets or toilet bowls, among others.
The Ghana Standards Board has over the years observed that, importers of used clothing have been importing used undergarments which have been prohibited by the Ministry of Trade and Industry as stipulated in the LI 1586, 1994.
These prohibited goods are hidden among other used clothing such as shirts, trousers and jackets in the bales, thus making it difficult to detect them at the ports of entry, and are openly sold at the markets and along some streets in towns and villages in the country.
The GSB has, therefore, been working hard to stem the importation of these used undergarments through public education on the dangers of wearing used undergarments, engaging with stakeholders especially, the association of importers and dealers in used clothing and also intensification of market surveillance.
Speaking at the forum, the Director of the Inspectorate Division of the Ghana Standards Board, Mr F.Kofi Nagetey, said from February next year, all consignments of used clothing would be inspected by the Ghana Standards Board before they are released to the importers.
He said any consignment of used goods found to contain any used undergarments would be confiscated and destroyed.
Mr Nagetey added that the board would also organise swoops with the security agencies to get rid of used undergarments on the markets.
“The Ghana Standards Board believes that if all stakeholders work together, we shall be able to bring to the barest minimum, the importation and clearance of these used undergarments”, he noted.
He said used undergarments were a source of micro-organisms that could cause skin infection.
Mr Nagetey explained that the exercise was not meant to destroy anybody’s business, but was being done because of the risk involved in the patronage of used undergarments by some people.
He stressed that the programme would be intensified and sustained.
The Director of Trade Facilitation of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Mr Ntim Donkoh said the LI 1586, 1994 was meant to protect the health and safety of consumers.
He said that though a law had been passed, those banned undergarments continued to be patronised on the open market, adding that the government would continue to enforce the law.