Breastfeeding is one of the important determinants of child
health, development, nutrition and survival. Now, more
women are working outside the home both in formal and
informal sector. Difficulties working women face in practicing
breastfeeding are also increasing. It becomes critical to build
an enabling system that would allow combining
breastfeeding and work. In this context, maternity protection
policy is vital for all women; a policy that should entitle all
women to work with dignity, and to benefit from respectable
work conditions that bar out discrimination based on gender
and their reproductive role.
The Constitution of India, under article 42, states, “The State
shall make provision for securing just and humane conditions
of work and for maternity relief.” In light of the Constitutional
mandate, India has two legislations for working women. One,
the Maternity Benefit Act 1961 and second the Employees
State Insurance Act, 1948. India has also in place some
executive measures based on recommendations of the 6th
Pay Commission. Further, the National Food Security Act
2013 recognizes maternity protection a legal right via Section
6 providing for a minimum of Rs. 6000/- to be given as
maternity entitlement to all women, which includes women
from the unorganized sector.
The theme for this year's World Breastfeeding Week is
. It revisits
the 1993 WBW campaign on the Mother-Friendly Workplace
Initiative. It aims to empower and support all women, working
in both formal and informal sectors, to optimally combine
work with child-rearing, particularly breastfeeding. The theme
for 1993 WBW was “Women, work and breastfeeding:
Everybody benefits!
OBJECTIVES
- Inform people about the available maternity protection entitlements and raise awareness to strengthen the national legislation and implementation.
- To gain multi-dimensional support from all sectors to enable women everywhere to work and breastfeed.
- Promote action by employers to become baby and mother-friendly and actively facilitate and support their women employees to continue breastfeeding.
- Strengthen supportive practices that enable working women in the informal sector to breastfeed.
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