The 62nd session
of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC Committee) took place in
Geneva from
14 January to
1 February 2013. The Committee reviewed the
progress of the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 4
countries: Guinea, Guyana, Malta and
Niue.
IBFAN submitted alternative reports
on the situation of infant and young child feeding for 3 of the countries under
review (Guinea, Malta and Niue). The reports were written in collaboration with
IBFAN groups and contacts in the countries.
In its
concluding observations, the CRC Committee referred specifically to breastfeeding in 3 out of the 4
countries. With the exception of Guinea, all the other
countries received concluding observations on infant and child nutrition, and
breastfeeding in particular. This was probably due to the fact that the
alternative report on Guinea was submitted very late, only few days before the
start of the session. This confirms the need to prepare and submit alternative
reports ahead of time in order to make sure that they will inform the Committee
members.
The Committee recommended to promote exclusive breastfeeding of
children up to the age of 6 months, to strengthen awareness-raising campaigns on the
importance of breastfeeding among
the public in general (Guyana and Malta) and to train health professionals and mothers on healthy infant and child
nutrition (Malta). The Committee has stressed
the importance of breastfeeding in preventing infant obesity and the need to collect systematic data which will
enable governments to develop adequate and comprehensive
national policies to address infant and young child feeding issues (Malta).
Emphasis was put on the
importance of the enforcement of the
International Code of Marketing of
Breastmilk Substitutes and especially on its regular monitoring and the
sanctioning of violations (Guyana and Malta).
Taking steps in order to certify hospitals as
baby-friendly according to the Baby
Friendly Hospital Initiative was also considered important (Guyana and
Malta). Niue has been recommended to strengthen maternity protection at work by providing
mothers with
adequate facilities for breastfeeding at work and by paying particular
attention to mothers employed in the private sector.
On health more generally, the CRC Committee
focused on the need to ensure
equal access to quality primary health care services (Guinea, Niue) and to
health and nutrition services (Guyana). In particular, the urgency of tackling
chronic malnutrition and other preventable health problems among children has
been highlighted (Guinea and Guyana).
Table1. Summary of concluding observations on Infant
and Young Child Feeding
CRC
Session 62 - 2013
Country
|
IBFAN report
|
Summary of specific
recommendations on infant and young child feeding (IYCF)
|
|
1
|
Guinea
(2nd)
|
Yes
|
Indirect
(Para 66): increase resources allocated to the health sector; comprehensive
policies and programmes for improving the health situation of children;
greater and equal access to quality primary health services for mothers and
children in all area of the country, with emphasis on chronic malnutrition.
|
2
|
Guyana
(2nd + 3rd
+ 4th )
|
No
|
Direct
(Para 53-54): strengthen awareness-raising on the importance of breastfeeding
and promote exclusive breastfeeding of children up to the age of 6 months; ensure
regular monitoring of existing international marketing regulations relating
to breastmilk substitutes and take action against violators; certify
hospitals as baby-friendly under the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative
(BFHI).
Indirect
(Para 48): implement comprehensive programmes for addressing maternal and
perinatal deaths; address preventable health problems among children,
including diarrhoea and malnutrition; undertake measures to address the
quality, access and utilisation of all health and nutrition services,
particularly perinatal facilities, in all the regions.
|
3
|
Malta
(2nd)
|
Yes
|
Direct
(Para 53-54): strengthen awareness-raising efforts on the importance of
breastfeeding and promote exclusive breastfeeding of children up to the age
of 6 months; collect data on breastfeeding with a view to developing a
national policy to promote and facilitate breastfeeding; ensure regular
monitoring of existing international marketing regulations relating to
breastmilk substitutes and take action against violators; act in order to
certify hospitals as baby-friendly under the Baby-Friendly Hospital
Initiative (BFHI); training for mothers and health professionals on healthy
infant and child nutrition; importance of breastfeeding for prevention of
obesity.
|
4
|
Niue
(initial)
|
Yes
|
Direct
(Para 61-62): strengthen maternity protection at work by providing
mothers with adequate facilities for breastfeeding at work; take necessary
steps for working mothers in the private sector to enjoy the same maternity
rights as those in the public sector.
Indirect (Para 56): curb
child mortality; continue to improve the quality of decentralized services to
outer villages while also providing emergency care for children and mothers
when in need.
|
