Many Chinese consumers are demanding IKEA to issue a recall on their chests and drawers in China.
IKEA, a Swedish furniture maker, has already announced the recall of 36 million unstable chests and drawers in Canada and the United States. This came after the deaths of six children that were linked to IKEA's Malm line that included various chests and dressers for children and adults. The firm implemented the recall after the release of an order by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
According to the CPSC, a child was killed every two weeks because of furniture tipping over.
IKEA, on the other hand, had already received 41 complaints from buyers of the Malm line chests and drawers. A child in Pennsylvania died when a six-drawer dresser fell on him. Another 23-month-old boy was killed in Washington after getting pinned down by a three-drawer Malm dresser.
Some Chinese consumers used social media to express their concerns and many of them felt that IKEA was discriminating them. They wondered why the recall policy was not applied outside of North America and Canada.
Xian Jiaxin, an IKEA representative in China, said that the Malm line of chests and dressers are still available in outlets across the country. She assured the public that the products are safe, provided that these are fastened to the wall. Clear instructions come with the packaging of the product.
Chinese regulations state that all furniture that have a height of more than 24 inches must be fastened to the wall. However, the Shenzhen Consumer Council still called for "equal and nondiscriminatory protection in any country and any place," in a statement issued last Thursday.
Further investigation will be conducted by the council to look into the safety of the products.
IKEA has not yet issued any response.