“Over the past 12 years, the number of girls and boys under six months who are exclusively breastfed has increased by more than 10%. This means that 48% of newborns worldwide benefit from this healthy start in life. This translates into hundreds of thousands of boys and girls whose lives have been saved through breastfeeding. This is what UNICEF and the World Health Organization are reminding us on the occasion of World Breastfeeding Week, which begins today and ends Wednesday 7, whose theme is ‘Closing the Gap: Supporting Breastfeeding for All’. The two international organizations emphasize the need to improve breastfeeding support as a fundamental action to reduce inequalities and protect the right of mothers, girls and boys to survive and thrive.
In terms of ‘numbers’, although there has been a significant leap forward that brings us closer to the WHO target of increasing exclusive breastfeeding to at least 50% by 2025, “there are persistent challenges that need to be addressed”, explains a note. When mothers receive the necessary support to breastfeed, everyone benefits. According to the latest available data, improving breastfeeding rates could save more than 820,000 lives each year. During this crucial period of early growth and development, antibodies in breast milk protect girls and boys from disease and death. This is especially important during emergencies, when breastfeeding provides a safe, nutritious and accessible source of food. Breastfeeding reduces the burden of childhood diseases and the risk of some cancers and non-communicable diseases for mothers.
An estimated 4.5 billion people – more than half the world’s population – do not have full coverage of essential health services, meaning many women do not receive the support they need to breastfeed effectively. This includes access to qualified, empathetic and respectful advice and counselling throughout the breastfeeding journey. Collecting reliable data is critical to addressing inequalities and ensuring mothers and families receive timely and effective breastfeeding support. Currently, only half of countries collect data on breastfeeding rates.
To sustain progress, data are also needed on the policy actions that enable breastfeeding, such as family-friendly employment policies, implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, and investment in breastfeeding. Improved monitoring systems will help increase the effectiveness of breastfeeding policies and programmes, inform better decision-making, and ensure that support systems can be adequately funded.
When breastfeeding is protected and supported, women are more than twice as likely to breastfeed. This is a shared responsibility. Families, communities, health workers, politicians and other decision-makers all have a central role to play: Increasing investment in programmes and policies that protect and support breastfeeding through dedicated national funding. Implementing and monitoring family-friendly work policies, such as paid maternity leave, breastfeeding breaks and access to affordable, good-quality childcare. Ensuring that mothers at risk in emergencies or in underrepresented communities receive breastfeeding protection and support that is aligned with their specific needs, including timely and effective breastfeeding counselling as part of routine health care.
Improve monitoring of breastfeeding programmes and policies to inform and further improve breastfeeding rates. Develop and enforce laws that limit the marketing of breast-milk substitutes, including digital marketing practices, with monitoring to routinely report violations of the Code. In Italy, UNICEF carries out the Baby-Friendly Initiatives (BFI): good practices, based on evidence of effectiveness, that protect, promote and support breastfeeding, while offering and ensuring adequate care and support to mothers who do not breastfeed. The BFI include 35 hospitals and 10 communities recognized as ‘Friends of girls and boys’ and 4 Friends of breastfeeding degree courses. In addition, over 1,000 Baby PIt Stops are part of the UNICEF Italy programme “Together for breastfeeding”, areas set up to welcome parents who want to breastfeed or change diapers when they are away from home.
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