More than a hundred breastfeeding mothers gathered at a train station in Hong Kong to protest prejudice. The event was conducted in time for the Mother’s Day celebration.
The mothers assembled at the Tai Wai MTR station on Saturday, May 7. They gathered to raise awareness of the challenges they faced as they breastfeed their children. This is also the fourth year that the group mounted the event to highlight the importance of breastfeeding.
They have formed a group named Mamamilk Baby Alliance, through which they have aired their call to the government of Hong Kong for legislation to protect nursing mothers. The members claimed they have experienced discrimination.
Don’t discriminate: Hong Kong mothers breastfeed in subway. https://t.co/uDkqdwsvYo pic.twitter.com/JLQ4u96lzd
— chinadotcom_en (@chinadotcom_en) May 9, 2016
With the said flash mob in Hong Kong, the nursing mothers are seeking to eliminate the lack of adequate facilities. In turn, the group is hoping to gain access to enough breastfeeding and child care facilities not only in public areas but workplaces as well.
The mothers were seen occupying the middle of the MTR station as they were simultaneously feeding their children. There were others who were spotted sitting inside the trains also breastfeeding their babies. On the corner, one child held on the sign saying, “Breastfeeding everywhere!”
Meanwhile, the other train commuters together with members of the media were seen observing the protest.
The group of breastfeeding mothers, who have faced being ridiculed at times, has gained much support through their Facebook page .
According to the spokeswoman of the alliance, many mothers are still facing difficulties “despite there being a rise in the awareness of breastfeeding being the most healthy option for babies.”
She also went on to say that mothers in Hong Kong are forced to feed their babies inside the toilets as there are no public facilities available.
Apart from their call for better facilities, the mothers are also asking for better awareness among the public and to have the right to breastfeed in public areas.
#COCO 40% Hong Kong women who breastfeed in public have had unpleasant experiences or complaints: UNICEF survey https://t.co/mnqX5hAqJa
— Hong Kong Stream (@hkstream) May 9, 2016
A report from the World Health Organization claimed that breastfeeding can save close to a million lives each year. Most of these are babies under six months.
The organization encourages the breastfeeding of children within the first six months of their lives.
It accounted that breastfed children are less likely to be obese, less prone to acquire diabetes when they become adults and also do better than average in intelligence exams. The children are not the only ones who benefit from breastfeeding as mothers also gain an advantage.
Studies showed that breastfeeding mothers are less likely to acquire ovarian and breast cancers.
It is not only mothers from Hong Kong who are experiencing challenges . In the UK, mothers breastfeeding their children are asked to leave public spaces. In 2015, Carrie Davies, who is a mother to three kids, was asked to leave a restaurant as she was feeding her son.
About five years ago, some 40 mothers also staged a protest after a mother in Brighton City was told by a restaurant that her breastfeeding was an “unpleasant” sight. The mothers breastfed their children while they were out in the cold.
Hong Kong and the battle to breastfeed: Why are women still pumping in dirty public toilets? https://t.co/PFfKHOOozO pic.twitter.com/3lRh7rGZ12
— HK Magazine (@HK_Magazine) March 23, 2016
An account from Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative of UNICEF showed that only 2.3 percent of the babies born in Hong Kong are being breastfed exclusively. However, that rate is steadily increasing.
Further, WHO estimated that $223.6 million would be saved in China’s healthcare system if babies are breastfed. Reportedly, common childhood illnesses would be prevented if breastfeeding rates increased to 90 percent for children under six months.
[Photo by Kin Cheung/AP]
