Call to Action campaign
We call on UK governments to take four key steps to enable mothers to breastfeed for as long as they wish and to protect all babies from commercial interests.
Zdroj: UNICEF
In the UK breastfeeding is a highly emotive subject because so many families have not breastfed, or have experienced the trauma of trying very hard to breastfeed and not succeeding. No parent should have to feel the pain of any implication that they have not done the best for their child, but the UK context has become so fraught that conversations about breastfeeding are shut down.
Powerful new evidence about the benefits of breastfeeding provides a compelling case to alter prevailing attitudes and practices. Three ground-breaking pieces of research funded by the Gates Foundation highlight the practical, emotional and cultural barriers that still stand in the way of women breastfeeding and underline the importance of breastfeeding in improving health, saving lives and reducing costs in every country in the world, rich or poor.
We need to change the conversation around breastfeeding; it is time to stop laying the blame for the UK’s low breastfeeding rates in the laps of individual women and instead acknowledge that this is a public health imperative for which government, policy makers, communities and families all share responsibility. We are calling on UK and devolved governments to implement four key actions to create a supportive, enabling environment for women who want to breastfeed, and to protect all babies, whether breast or formula fed, from harmful commercial interests.
More info: unicef.org.uk