Every Woman's Right to Breastfeed   
 
How can breastfeeding be a human right? 

• All human beings have human rights.
• Women and children have rights equal to everyone else.
• Women and children are subjects of human rights, not objects of charity.
• Breastfeeding is part of fundamental human rights: the right to food and to health.
• Breastmilk is the best food for newborns and infants, barring exceptional circumstances. It provides a nutritionally balanced food for children to ensure their survival, growth and development.
• The act of breastfeeding is an essential com-ponent of good child care, contributing to healthy growth and psychosocial development.
• Breastfeeding contributes to every woman's right to health by reducing the risk of certain illnesses.

• Every woman has the right to breastfeed her child.
• Almost all governments have legally obliged themselves to fulfill the rights contained in international agreements such as the
• Convention on the Rights of the Child,
• Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and
• Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women.

• The Convention of the Rights of the Child provides that it is the right of children to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health that governments shall ensure provision of nutritious food, and that parents and children have information about nutrition and the advantages of breastfeeding.

• The Covenant on Economic and Social Rights guarantees the right to food and to health.

• The Convention against Discrimination of Women says that women shall have appropriate services in connection with pregnancy and lactation (breastfeeding).

Breastfeeding is a right for every mother, and it is essential to fulfill every child's right to adequate food and the highest attainable standard of health.  Breastfeeding as a human right implies that: 

• Children must have access to adequate food and nutrition to ensure healthy development from birth. This comes from breastfeeding exclusively¹ in the first six months and together with complementary foods for two years and beyond.

• Governments have the duty to ensure that there are no obstacles for women who choose to breastfeed.

• Women cannot be discriminated against because they are breastfeeding.

• Women can demand adequate information and support to be able to breastfeed.

• Women can demand not to be exposed to undue pressure from breastmilk substitute producers through advertising or any other form of promotion.

Yes!  While the decision to breastfeed or not lies with each mother, there are a number of things that governments should do to protect, promote and support the right to breastfeeding: 

The government should: 

• Recognise in law that women and children have rights to food and health.

• Provide for adequate maternity leave (at least 4, but preferably 6 months) after giving birth to facilitate exclusive breastfeeding.

• Provide for flexible work hours (by law) for mothers returning to work, including breastfeeding breaks.

• Protect a woman's right to breastfeed in public places.

• Train health workers, including doctors, midwives and nurses in the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding.

• Provide information on the advantages of breastfeeding, particularly to pregnant women to enable each one to make informed decisions.

• Prevent any form of promotion of breast-milk substitutes, bottles or teats to the public, but especially to women prior to or just after birth.

• Call on employers to provide facilities to enable working mothers to continue to breastfeed or express and store milk.

• Support better provisions in the ILO Convention No. 103 on Maternity Protection, currently being revised (June 1999 - June 2000).

Breastfeeding is the choice of most women where there is sufficient 
information and support.  If women do not get this support, there 
are a number of things that can be done: 

• Women and women's groups can advocate and lobby the government to ensure that measures are taken to support women, such as implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative and good maternity protection.

• Women's groups can also lobby medical associations to make sure that information about breastfeeding is made available through clinics, doctors offices and hospitals.

• Women can organise breastfeeding support networks to:
• support new mothers
• ensure that women receive sufficient information about breastfeeding before the baby is born, and
• be present at maternity clinics to assist new mothers.

Every government that has agreed to abide by the international agreements must report to the United Nations about what they have done to ensure that everyone enjoys the rights. These reports are sent to the United Nations and discussed by Committees responsible for overseeing the implementation of these agreements. If the government does not respect and protect mothers' right to breastfeed, it is in breach of its obligations according to these agreements.  

There are a number of actions that can be taken by national organisations: 

• Women and their organisations can pressure the government to honour its obligations.

• Women's organisations (and other non-governmental organisations) can send information to the UN Committees about the breastfeeding situation in their country.²

• Women's organisations can assist the government in drafting legislation that will enable women to breastfeed after returning to work.

• Women can bring the issues up through trade unions and workers organisations.

• Trade Unions can bring the issue up before the International Labour Organization if women are discriminated against in the work place because they are breastfeeding.

• Women's organisations can boycott restaurants and other public places that prevent women from breastfeeding.

WABA Women & Work Task Force.  
PO Box 1200, 10850 Penang, Malaysia. 
Tel: 60-4-6584816  Fax: 60-4-6572655  
Email:waba@waba.org.my 

International Maternal & Child Health (IMCH),  
Department of Women's & Children's Health 
Entrance 11, Upsala University, S-751 85 
Uppsala, Sweden.  Tel: 46-18-511598 / 665935  
Fax: 46-18-515380 / 508013  
Email: ted.greiner@ich.uu.se 

ARUGAAN.  
42-A Maalalahanin Street, Teachers' Village, Quezon City, 
Philippines. Tel/Fax: 63-2-9225189 

World Alliance for Nutrition and Human Rights (WANAHR),  
c/o Norwegian Institute of Human Rights,  
Universitetsgaten 22-24, 0142 Oslo, Norway.  
Tel:  47-22-842004  Fax:  47-22-842002  
Email: wanahr@nihr.uio.no 

Geneva Infant Feeding Association, (GIFA)/IBFAN Europe,  
PO Box 157, 1211 Geneva 19, Switzerland.  
Tel: 41-22-7989164 Fax: 41-22-7984443  
Email: philipec@iprolink.ch 

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights 
Palais des Nations, OHCHR-UNOG, CH 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland.  
Tel: 41-22-9179000  Email: webadmin.hchr@unog.ch  
http://www.unhchr.ch 

International Labour Office, Conditions of Work Branch 
4 route des Morillons, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland.  
Tel: 41-22-7997955 Fax:41-22-7998451   
Email: dy@ilo.org   http://www.ilo.org 

UNICEF New York  
Legal Officer, Nutrition Section, 3 UN Plaza,  
New York, NY 10017.  
Email: dclark@unicef.org  http://www.unicef.org 
 

2 The UN Committees most relevant for this information would be: The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child; The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; and the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. For further information about the Committees and procedures for sending information to them, please contact Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland