Africa-Press – Uganda. Legislators on the Parliamentary forum on children have revealed that they intend to table a law that will, among others, compel all ministry departments and agencies to establish special rooms in which lactating mothers will ably breastfeed their children while at their places of work in privacy.
The revelation was made by the Minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs, Ms Sarah Mateke on Friday afternoon as the lawmakers in conjunction with the Save the Children announced dates to commemorate the World Breastfeeding Week.
“We are going to start on the policy to enable work places have the breastfeeding rooms set up besides what we already have in place like the maternity leave. This is because we have to breastfeed for two years and yet as mothers we only get a few months of maternity leave and the rest that of breastfeeding period I am at work. So I request my colleagues to support that legislation when the need arises,” Ms Mateke said.
In support of the proposal, the Kigulu south MP, Mr Milton Muwuma asked private entities to establish the breastfeeding centres because it guarantees privacy to lactating mothers. He rallied other entities to emulate the legislative arm which already has a similar facility in place.
“We also need other centres to have a breastfeeding facility like it is at Parliament to also emulate it and set up such structures,” Mr Muwuma said.
In the same spirit, the Head of Health at Save the Children, Dr Lorna Muhirwe urged fathers across the country to play their fatherly role and fully support lactating mothers.
Dr Muhirwe also wants government to commit itself towards supporting the programme.
“We therefore, would like to call upon the government to make evidence-based, economically proven commitments towards the full and effective protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding,” Dr Muhirwe said.
