MOSCOW, June 19 - RAPSI. The number of consumer protection lawsuits is steadily growing, Gennady Onishchenko, the head of the consumer rights watchdog (Rospotrebnadzor), said on Tuesday.

This trend may be a sign that a new area of legal practice is emerging, he added.

“Consistent work, both in law-making and in law application, allows one to assume that a new legal and practice domain is being formed to protect the interests of each individual,” Onishchenko said.

The number of lawsuits to protect consumer rights has grown six times over the past five years, he said. The number of expert opinions issued upon court request has also increased many times over.