- Conference
- 2008 National Women's Conference
- Date
- 25 October 2007
- Decision
- Carried
Conference welcomes the tremendous work that UNISON and the National Women’s Committee have undertaken in the past with regard to the ‘Breast is Best’ campaign.
However, Conference is concerned regarding the lack of positive images of breastfeeding mothers in public. Mothers are also still being made to feel uncomfortable whilst feeding their babies in cafes and restaurants.
The single equalities bill aims to outlaw discrimination of nursing mothers however, some feel that it is still socially unacceptable to feed in public and mothers are being made to feel like they are doing something wrong.
The social networking site Facebook recently banned images that members has uploaded of them breastfeeding their children, saying the pictures were obscene. These members were outraged and started up a group on Facebook called ‘Breastfeeding is not obscene’. Facebook took offence to this group and issued warnings to members saying that their profiles would be deleted unless they left the said group.
It’s worth saying that Facebook allowed a group calling for breastfeeding to be banned in public. Unfortunately many share these draconian views, for example, mothers are still being asked if they’d like to feed their children in the toilet by café workers etc.
The Department for Health recommends that babies are exclusively breastfed for 6 months. 76% of babies have received some breast milk. By 6 weeks only 48% of babies are still being breastfed and by 6 months this figure falls to only 2%! Nine in ten mothers who gave up breastfeeding before 6 months wished they could have continued longer. Many mothers don’t receive the help and support they need to continue breastfeeding and Conference believes that a lack of images of nursing in public could be contributing to this as they see it is something that isn’t seen widely in society. At present there are very few images of breast feeding in public, only a few posters being displayed in hospitals and health centres. In media and television there are barely any images and breastfeeding is very rarely seen or even referred to in programmes. A greater exposure could help increase these numbers.
We also need to ensure that women are encouraged and supported to continue breastfeeding after they return to work. Many employers are ignorant of their responsibility to ensure that women returning to work after maternity leave who are breastfeeding should be given adequate breaks to rest and express milk and have a proper workplace risk assessment taking the fact they are breastfeeding into account.
The aggressive marketing techniques by baby food companies don’t give mothers the confidence and support they need to continue feeding. These companies often bombard women with freebies and coupons for money off baby milk even before their babies have been born. In their advertising, they produce pictures and posters, which subtlety devalues breastfeeding. Such advertising goes against the International Code of Marketing of Breast milk Substitutes. In brief, promotion of infant formula in the general media or in shops is against the UK Law. This includes money off promotions, extra reward points or special displays. UK companies are still violating this law. This includes one supermarket selling baby milk off at 1p, but there is a huge list of violations by supermarkets & stores.
Conference therefore calls on the National Women’s Committee to:
1)Work with the coalition members of the breast feeding manifesto to produce and distribute positive images as wide as possible.
2)Work with Labour Link to lobby the government to tackle the aggressive marketing techniques used by infant formula companies.
3)Campaign to the government to adopt the full International Code of Marketing of Breast milk Substitutes.
4)Include details of breastfeeding support groups, the benefits of breastfeeding, and the details of employers responsibilities to women who are breastfeeding when they return to work, in the Women’s Health Pack.
5)Remind activists of employer’s responsibilities to women who are breastfeeding when they return to work through Focus magazine.
6)Promote positive breastfeeding in U magazine