THEME: Let’s make breastfeeding and work, work!

World Breastfeeding Week is held every first week of August yearly. It is supported by WHO, UNICEF and many Ministries of Health and civil society partners. WHO will use the week to champion best practices for workplace-related breastfeeding support, in different countries, across different contract types and sectors, and promote actions that can be taken to help ensure breastfeeding works for all women who work, wherever they work.

According to World Health Organization, breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival and yet currently, fewer than half of infants under 6 months old are exclusively breastfed.

FOCUS OF THEME:

• Breastfeeding and work.
• Providing a strategic opportunity to advocate for essential maternity rights that support breastfeeding.
• Maternity leave for a minimum of 18 weeks, ideally more than 6 months.
• Workplace accommodations after this point.

These are urgent issues for ensuring women can breastfeed as long as they wish to do so: more than half a billion working women are not given basic maternity provisions; many more find themselves unsupported when they go back to work.

WHAT MUST BE DONE TO IMPROVE BREASTFEEDING WORLDWIDE

• Making breastfeeding at work, work, makes societies work! Breastfeeding provides vital health and nutritional benefits for children with positive lifelong impacts, building healthier populations – and workforces – for the future.
• Women shouldn’t have to choose between breastfeeding their children and their jobs. Breastfeeding support is possible regardless of workplace, sector, or contract type.
• Effective maternity protections improve children’s and women’s health and increase breastfeeding. And yet, at present, more than half a billion working women lack access to vital maternity provisions; many more find themselves unsupported when they go back to work.
• All women everywhere – no matter their work – should have
• At least 18 weeks, preferably more than 6 months, paid maternity leave;
• Paid time off for breastfeeding or expressing milk upon returning to work;
• Flexible return to work options.

WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK SIGNIFICANCE

• World Breastfeeding Week aims to promote the enabling environments that help women to breastfeed including support in the community and the workplace, with adequate protections in government policies and laws – as well as sharing information on breastfeeding benefits and strategies, according to the global health body.
• According to WHO, more than half a billion working women are not given essential maternity protections in national laws.
• Just 20% of countries require employers to provide employees with paid breaks and facilities for breastfeeding or expressing milk.
• Fewer than half of infants under 6 months of age are exclusively breastfed.

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