Statistics show that Nigeria had only a 29 percent of Exclusive Breastfeeding rate, denying over 70% of infants their rights and benefits of breast milk in their formative years.
This was disclosed in a joint statement by the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization(WHO) in commemoration of this year’s 2022 World breastfeeding week.
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Stressing that Only 9% of organizations have a workplace breastfeeding policy, thus resulting in a lack of enabling environment for mothers to breastfeed their babies optimally.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell and WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that “The results are high stunting rates of 37% of children Under-5, of which 21% are severe, and wasting among children under 5 years of age (7%). They continue to present severe consequences for the child.
Breastfeeding also acts as a baby’s first vaccine, protecting them from common childhood illnesses.
Yet the emotional distress, physical exhaustion, lack of space and privacy, and poor sanitation experienced by mothers in emergency settings mean that many babies are missing out on the benefits of breastfeeding to help them survive.
Fewer than half of all newborn babies are breastfed in the first hour of life, leaving them more vulnerable to disease and death. And only 44 percent of infants are exclusively breastfed in the first six months of life, short of the World Health Assembly target of 50 percent by 2025.
Protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding is more important than ever, not just for protecting our planet as the ultimate natural, sustainable, first food system, but also for the survival, growth, and development of millions of infants.
That is why UNICEF and WHO are calling on governments, donors, civil society, and the private sector to step up efforts to:
- Prioritize investing in breastfeeding support policies and programs, especially in fragile and food insecure contexts.
- Equip health and nutrition workers in facilities and communities with the skills they need to provide quality counseling and practical support to mothers to successfully breastfeed.
- Protect caregivers and health care workers from the unethical marketing influence of the formula industry by fully adopting and implementing the International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes, including in humanitarian settings.
- Implement family-friendly policies that provide mothers with the time, space, and support they need to breastfeed.”
The world breastfeeding week with its theme “Step up for breastfeeding: Educate and Support.” Is aimed at enlightening the public on the vital role of breastfeeding which stands against disease and all forms of child malnutrition.
