PPPIM will be hosting another event in protecting, promoting and supporting the right to breastfeed among women. The theme for this workshop is “Mothers Right to Work, Workers Right to Motherhood”. The event will be held at The Heritage Station Hotel, Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, 28th August, 2004.
For further enquiries, please contact 03-41073678 or visit the host website at Persatuan Penggalak Penyusuan Susu Ibu Malaysia
or Download the Registration Form, fill in the information and fax it to 03-41072862.
Purpose
-To promote actions that support working women continue breastfeeding
-Creating a Mother and Baby Friendly work environment
-To support womens right to breastfeed and work through international legislation
Who Should Attend
All working women
Why it is important to stress that breastfeeding is a right?
Breastfeeding is a right for every mother, and it is essential to fulfill every childs right to adequate food and the highest attainable standard of health. Breastfeeding as a human right implies that:
-Children must have access to adequate food and nutrition to ensure healthy development from birth. This comes from breastfeeding exclusively in the first six months and together with complementary foods for two years and beyond.
-Employers have the duty to ensure that there are no obstacles for women who choose to breastfeed.
-Women cannot be discriminated against because they are breastfeeding.
-Women can demand adequate information and support to be able to breastfeed.
-Women can demand not to be exposed to under pressure from breast milk substitute producers through advertising or any other form of promotion.
As breastfeeding is a private matter, is there a role for the government to play?
Yes! While the decision to breastfeed or not lies with each mother, there are a number of things that governments should do to protect, promote and support the right to breastfeed.
The government should:
– Recognize in law that women and children have rights to food and health.
– Provide for adequate maternity leave at least 4 months after giving birth to facilitate exclusive breastfeeding.
– Provide for flexible work hours (by law) for mothers returning to work, including breastfeeding breaks.
– Protect a womans right to breastfeed in public places.
– Train health workers, including doctors, midwives and nurses in the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding.
– Provide information on the advantages of breastfeeding, paticularly to pregnant women to enable each one to make informed decisions.
– Prevent any form of promotion of breast-milk subtitutes, bottle teats to the public, and especially to women prior to or just after birth
– Call on employers to provide facilities to enable working mothers to continue to breastfeed or express and store milk.
– Support better provisions in the ILO Convention on Maternity Protection, Convention 183 and Recommendation 191.
