As part of efforts to encourage exclusive breastfeeding amongst women, the Cross River State government is proposing a law for one month and six months paid paternity and maternity leave for men and women, respectively, plus an exclusive breastfeeding crèche for nursing mothers.
In an exclusive interview with The Guardian, the Director General, Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Janet Ekpenyong, gave an update on how the exclusive breastfeeding week was celebrated in the state. She noted that exclusive breastfeeding has been a challenge for women, especially at the work place; hence, the expediency of the law.
She said: “We are advocating paid maternity leave to increase from three to six months, so that women can have more time at home breastfeeding their children without worrying they will lose out at work.
“We are also advocating one month paid paternity leave for fathers so that they can spend time with their families and give their wives the necessary support and encourage them to breastfeed.
“We are advocating that institutions and organisations have crèches and nurseries in their establishments so that women, who bring their babies to work, can go into the crèche and breastfeed their children and then continue with their work.
“These are some of the things we are working with the State House of Assembly to put in place as a law to help breastfeeding mothers and their families. Right now, the only law that is there is three months maternity leave for women. If we can do six months for women, at least, to ensure they are there to spend time with their babies, as well as ensure they are breastfed exclusively, it would be encouraging.”
In the one week celebration, “whatever we did at the state capital was also done in the headquarters of the 18 local councils, and over 2000 women were reached through out the one week breastfeeding week.”
We are also planning to award some mothers, who were able to breastfeed their children, exclusively, within the week as a way of encouraging them.”
