Photo Credit: Mayang Sari, UNICEF Bangladesh
Globally, mothers have identified work as one of the leading barriers to exclusive and continued breastfeeding or early cessation of breastfeeding. Findings from United States-based studies suggest that the poorest and most vulnerable mothers are most likely to be affected, as they are often the ones who need to go back to work soon after delivery. There is evidence, however, that workplace breastfeeding support programmes are able to contribute to increased rates and duration of breastfeeding.
UNICEF’s vision for breastfeeding is founded on the understanding that breastfeeding is not a one-woman job – it requires government leadership and support from families, communities, workplaces and the health system to make it work.
For years, UNICEF has advocated for strengthening maternity protection legislation and encouraging employers to incorporate breastfeeding- and child-friendly care, support and services within their workplaces. Most recently, these recommendations are being driven by UNICEF-supported initiatives in two areas:
- Promoting children’s rights and business principles that advance children’s rights to health and development through businesses and supply chain networks globally.
- Advocacy on global breastfeeding commitments. These underline the importance of promoting and supporting breastfeeding among working mothers through the implementation of enabling conditions.
In 2016, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF launched two country-level initiatives to improve breastfeeding practices of infants of working mothers, in partnership with businesses operating in two distinct settings:
- Ready-made garment (RMG) factory sites located in urban and peri-urban areas of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
- A vast tea estate situated in Kericho County, Kenya.
The objective of the mother- and baby-friendly workplace initiatives is to increase working mothers’ demand for and access to facilities and services that support appropriate breastfeeding practices and care in the workplace. In doing so, the initiatives aim to generate evidence on the operational feasibility, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of supporting breastfeeding in the workplace, and to showcase its benefits for children, families, communities and businesses. UNICEF applied the Communication for Development (C4D) process to design social and behavioural change communication strategies to increase acceptance of, and demand for, workplace breastfeeding programmes in each context.