As the world marks World Breastfeeding Week (WBW), the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), has lamented inadequate workplace breastfeeding policy in both public and private sectors of Nigeria.
The U.N Agency expressed shock that only 7 out of 36 states provide six months of fully paid maternity leave while only 34 percent of children aged 0 to 6 months are exclusively breastfed as recommended.
This was contained in a statement by Cristian Munduate, UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative, to mark World Breastfeeding Week.
The U.N Country Representative said only 9 percent of organisations have a workplace breastfeeding policy, with only 1.5 per cent in the public sector, adding that it was essential for government and businesses to provide the necessary support to mothers and caregivers to facilitate progress
She urged governments at all levels and employers to take decisive actions to ensure a supportive breastfeeding environment for all working mothers in both the formal and informal sectors.
In her words “Presently, 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,” she stated.
“Shockingly, only 9 percent of organisations 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”
She acknowledged that although Nigeria has made significant strides in the past two decades to increase exclusive breastfeeding rates, more needs to be done.
“Presently, only 7 out of 36 states provide six months fully paid maternity leave and only 34 per cent of children aged 0 to 6 months are exclusively breastfed as recommended by UNICEF. Nigeria is still far from reaching the World Health Assembly’s 70 percent target by 2030”
UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative said it was essential for the government and businesses to provide the necessary support to mothers and caregivers to facilitate progress.
