The CRC Committee issued two new General Comments in
April 2013: General
Comment No. 15 on ‘the right of the
child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health (art. 24)’
and General
Comment No. 16 on ‘State obligations
regarding the impact of the business sector on children’s rights’. These are
two very important documents which frame the importance of breastfeeding within
the right of the child to health and to adequate food and nutrition as well as
to survival, growth and development identifying both Sates’ obligations but
also business sector’s responsibilities.
General Comment 15 urges States, in the effort of diminishing infant and child mortality, to devote
particular attention to neonatal mortality and are suggested, inter alia, to “pay particular attention to ensuring full
protection and promotion of breastfeeding practices”. Moreover, “Exclusive
breastfeeding for infants up to 6 months should be protected and promoted and breastfeeding should continue together with appropriate complementary foods
preferably until two years of age as feasible. States’ obligations in this area are defined in the “protect, promote
and support framework”, adopted unanimously by the World Health Assembly” in the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding.
In order to prevent negative impact of marketing on
children’s right to health, survival and development, States are required adopt
preventive measures including appropriate and effective regulation and
monitoring of advertising and marketing industries. The General Comment 16 specifically
calls on States “to
implement and enforce internationally agreed standards concerning children’s
rights, health and business including the [...] International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and relevant
subsequent World Health Assembly resolutions”.
