Working mothers entitled to two hour for breastfeeding – Labour Dept

A mother working in the private sector is entitled to two hours to breast feed the baby after giving birth, till the child is one year, Labour Department Deputy Commissioner N. M. Y. Thushari said.

She said that a mother working in the public sector is entitled to one hour for breast feeding and knowing these laws, it is very important for mothers to get their rights and contribute to nourishing their children.

She stated this yesterday (19) while attending the press conference held at the Health Promotion Bureau. World Breastfeeding Week is from August 1 to 7.This press conference was held on behalf of that.This year’s National Breastfeeding Month aims to remove barriers in the workplace and create an environment that supports breastfeeding for working parents after childbirth.

For this, it is essential to build the space, time and support required for breastfeeding in the work environment, as well as to get a lot of support from families and society.

Survey reports have revealed that every US dollar invested in breastfeeding support has an economic return of US $35.

A survey conducted by the Department of Population and Statistics in 2016 has revealed that the percentage of exclusively breastfeeding during the first six months after birth is 82 percent. By

four to five months after birth, it has dropped to 64 percent. Scholars have speculated that this decline is due to mothers going back to work after giving birth.