As the World Health Organization hands out more and more citations for violations regarding aggressive formula marketing, mothers are fighting back and demanding that breastfeeding be recognnized as a right, as well as the best source of nutrition for their children.
From Time Magazine:
Philippines Kicks Off Global Mass Breastfeeding
Mothers promote breastfeeding in Manila in 2006Jay Directo / AFP / Getty"Through events like Friday's Synchronized Breastfeeding Worldwide, advocates like Henares-Esguerra have helped make the Philippines, which has one of Asia's highest birthrates, one of the leaders in the international legal effort to support women's right to breastfeed. Aimed at controlling aggressive marketing of formula-milk companies, particularly in developing nations, pro-breastfeeding laws target corporate practices like sponsoring maternity-related events, giving out formula samples to new mothers, and indicating on labels and advertising that their products make babies smarter. "Breastfeeding can save the lives of both mothers and infants. It may be the single most important intervention for promoting Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 [reducing child mortality and improving maternal health]," says Grace Agrasada, professor of pediatrics at the University of the Philippines, Manila, and the country's first International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (Henares-Esguerra is the second)."
Read the full story from Time here.
You can also read the World Health Organization's International Code of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes here.
Comments