Breast-feeding, child nutrition: CRM voices concern over delay in enactment of bill

Representatives of child right organisation, voiced concern over delay in enactment and implementation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Protection of Breast-feeding and child nutrition bill 2014, urged the provincial government to immediate pass it from assembly. The reservations were raised at a press conference, organised by Child Right Movement (CRM) in collaboration with SPARC and Save the Children Pakistan at Peshawar Press Club on Thursday.
CRM child governance officer, Sikandar Alam Khan, Adnan Sajid, provincial manager of Save the Children, Khalid Mehmood from SPARC, and CRM representative from Zar Ali Khan Afridi, as keynote speakers at the news conference. KP is still legging behind in enactment and implementation of breast-feeding and child nutrition law, as three provinces, Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan have so far made progress in this regard, says Sikandar Khan. Due to lack of proper awareness, he added the usage of bottle feeding milk is increasing across the country.
Representatives of CRM stressed the need for creating of awareness among mothers about feeding own milk to their child, and called upon the media to play it's effective role in this regard. For this purpose, they informed the World Breast-feeding Day being observed from August 1 to 7 every year, aiming at to encourage breast-feeding and improve the health of babies around the globe. This year, they informed breast-feeding advocates in over 175 counties world-wide, which will be observed the day under theme "Breast-feeding: A wining goal for Lift', to highlight for achieving the MDGs 4 and 5) requires more early exclusive and continued breast-feeding.
Sikandar urged the KP government to immediate enact from provincial assembly and implement for better health of child and their nutrition. CRM members urged improving breast-feeding through implementation of the breast-feeding and marketing code, effective targeting of healthcare providers for improved breast-feeding counselling; revision of undergraduate curriculum with a greater emphasis on good infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices; creation of baby-friendly health facilities, formulation of behaviour change strategies to promote the culture of breast-feeding; development of effective messages on IYCF; and counselling of women at all education levels.