The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) have jointly advocated for the implementation of nationwide legislation aimed at protecting the breastfeeding rights of employed parents.
In their collaborative statement commemorating the 2023 Breastfeeding Week, both organizations emphasized the need for this proposed legislation to ensure working parents who breastfeed are granted comprehensive benefits.
This includes provisions for extended leave, adaptable work schedules, and dedicated breastfeeding breaks.
Highlighting their concerns, the FDA and GHS underscored the ongoing challenges faced by numerous working parents in maintaining exclusive breastfeeding for the recommended six months, despite the well-established health advantages for infants.
They also highlighted that many working parents continued to breastfeed their children for periods extending to two years or more.
The joint statement asserted that breastfeeding constitutes an inherent entitlement for every child, playing a pivotal role in their survival and holistic development.
Moreover, the FDA and GHS called upon employers to actively foster breastfeeding-friendly workplaces by providing secure spaces, hygienic facilities, and appropriate storage options for expressed breast milk.
The statement attributed obstacles such as prolonged working hours, insufficient maternity leave, inadequate breastfeeding breaks, and the persisting stigma surrounding breastfeeding in professional settings as major deterrents that hinder parents from providing optimal nourishment for their infants.
The statement issued a collective appeal to all stakeholders, including governments, employers, civil society groups, and community organizations, to collaborate in surmounting these obstacles and cultivating an environment that facilitates and supports breastfeeding for working parents.
The overarching theme of the 2023 World Breastfeeding Week is “Enabling Breastfeeding: Making a Difference for Working Parents.”
This week-long campaign seeks to raise awareness and sensitize the public about the importance of establishing a conducive framework that enables employed parents to sustain breastfeeding while successfully managing their work commitments.
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