62nd COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: Governments to strengthen their efforts to protect and promote breastfeeding

The 62^nd 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.

 

MALTA Committed to Protect Breastfeeding

The situation of the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in Malta has been revised by the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) at its 62^nd session on January 17^th 2013. IBFAN has prepared an alternative report on the situation of breastfeeding in Malta. 

During the interactive dialogue with the Committee, the issue of breastfeeding was tackled.

The Committee members raised questions concerning the measures Malta is taking for increasing breastfeeding – whose rates are very low in the Country – as it is an important component for raising emotionally healthy children. The Maltese delegation stated that health campaigns to encourage breastfeeding have raised the rate of breastfeeding from 35% in 1990 to 56% in 2011*. There are ongoing efforts and initiatives to promote breastfeeding such as guidelines for breastfeeding rooms in public places, new breastfeeding policy in hospitals (created last November).

The Committee asked the delegation what measures are in place to regulate the marketing of infant formula which may explain the low rates of breastfeeding in the country. The Committee wanted to know whether there are baby friendly hospital initiatives in the country and what support is given to mothers in the hospitals, noting that births mostly occur in those premises and data in the possession of the Committee show very low initiation to breastfeeding. The Maltese delegation informed that services for breastfeeding are available within the hospitals and in community health centers. There are regulations on the marketing of baby formula and a directive is being discussed that, once adopted, will put Malta in line with the European Union.

The Committee members also noted that maternity leave from work has been recently elevated to 18 weeks and this could have an effect on breastfeeding. The delegation pointed out that it is not yet possible to assess the impact of the new law on breastfeeding as it has been operative for only 3 weeks now. In any case, working mothers have the possibility to use family friendly measures, work more from home, have more flexible work hours or have a reduction of working hours.

Overall, breastfeeding is on the increase, even though the statistics are still not satisfying. The delegation agreed that breastfeeding is the best solution for the child and they committed to increase awareness campaigns on breastfeeding.

 *The delegation of Malta probably referred to the rate of exclusive breastfeeding at 0 months, as it is the only data available along with initiation to breastfeeding.