|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
By Akanji Alowoludo, Bauchi
Babies who are not breastfed are 14 times more likely to die before they reach their first birthdays than babies who are exclusively breastfed.
The assertion was made by Dr. Tushar Rane, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Nigeria Bauchi Field Office in a goodwill message he delivered during the Media Dialogue on World Breastfeeding Week, 2023 held at Azare on Wednesday.
According to him, “It is the mainstay for safeguarding infants against life-threatening infections, it supports optimal brain development in children, especially in the first 1,000 days and it ultimately lowers healthcare costs.”
Rane added that, “We understand that optimal infant feeding is a cornerstone for human capital development while poor Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices bears major risks to child survival and socio-economic growth.”
He stressed that the World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year to reiterate the importance of breastfeeding for children, mothers, and socio-economic development saying that,”Breastmilk is the first vaccine for every child.”
He explained that this year’s WBW brings attention to workplace breastfeeding pointing out that Women make up 20 million out of the 46 million workforce in Nigeria; 95 per cent are within the informal sector, while the formal sector only employs 5 per cent. Shockingly, only 9 per cent of organizations have a workplace breastfeeding policy, with only 1.5 per cent in the public sector. Women in the informal sector have nearly no support for breastfeeding.
Rane added that, “Workplaces challenges to breastfeeding are one of the primary factors responsible for early cessation of breastfeeding. Women require sufficient time and support to breastfeed successfully. For working mothers, juggling between tasks and breastfeeding may be nearly often impossible.”
According to him,”Nigeria currently implements two maternity entitlement provisions. The first, which is recognized at all levels of public service and codified in the Nigerian Labour Act, provides up to 12 weeks of maternity leave with at least 50% of salary and, upon return to work, half an hour twice a day during working hours to breastfeed.”
The UNICEF Chief added that,”The second, recently adopted by the Federal Public Service and yet to be ratified by the states and local government civil service, is a 16-week maternity leave provision with full pay and two hours off each day to breastfeed up to six months after the employee resumes duty.”
He however said that the government and employers must provide the needed assistance for mothers and caregivers including those in the informal sector or on temporary contracts to conveniently breastfeed or support breastfeeding.
“We must promote policies that encourage breastfeeding, such as paid maternity leave for six months, as well as paid paternity leave, flexible return-to-work options, regular lactation breaks during working hours and adequate facilities that enable mothers to continue exclusive breastfeeding for six months,” he suggested.
He also said that,”When working parents and caregivers have sufficient paid leave, they can meet the essential nutritional needs of their young children.”
According to him, “Family-friendly workplace policies – such as paid maternity leave, breastfeeding breaks, and a room where mothers can breastfeed, or express milk are also a win for employers.”
He said that, “These approaches generate economic returns by reducing maternity-related absenteeism, increasing the retention of female workers, and reducing the costs of hiring and training new staff.”
Rane concluded saying, “I believe that through the interactions today, you, our esteemed media colleagues can continue to draw attention to the significance of infant nutrition and its interplay with national development…”
