World BreastFeeding Week
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Background:
World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration signed in August 1990 by government policymakers, WHO, UNICEF and other organizations to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding.This day has been celebrated since 1992.
Since 2016, breastfeeding has also been linked to sustainable development goals. World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated in more than 120 countries around the world.
Legal provision of breastfeeding in Nepal
The Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Act: In 2018, Nepal enacted the Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Act, which aims to promote and protect breastfeeding and appropriate infant and young child feeding practices. This act provides a legal framework to support breastfeeding mothers and ensures that appropriate information and support are available for mothers to practice exclusive breastfeeding and proper complementary feeding.
Maternity Leave: Nepal has provisions for maternity leave, which allows working mothers to have time off from their jobs to care for their newborns. The law entitles women to 52 weeks of maternity leave, with 14 weeks of paid leave and the remaining weeks as unpaid leave. This provision allows mothers to have the necessary time and support to breastfeed and care for their infants in the critical early months.
The National Health Policy: The National Health Policy of Nepal emphasizes the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and continued breastfeeding along with appropriate complementary feeding up to two years or beyond. It aims to promote breastfeeding as a vital component of child health and nutrition.
World Breastfeeding Week: Nepal actively participates in World Breastfeeding Week, an annual global event celebrated during the first week of August. During this week, various awareness-raising activities and campaigns are organized to promote breastfeeding and its benefits.
आज सुरु गरेको काम बीचमै नछोड्नुहोस्। आफ्नो निर्णयमा विश्वास राख्दा राम्रो हुनेछ। नजिकका व्यक्तिसँग भएको कुराकानीले मन हल्का हुनेछ। दिनलाई सरल रूपमा बिताउनु राम्रो हुनेछ। आजको शुभ रंग बैजनी हो भने शुभ अंक ३ रहेको छ।
