Excluded and invisible children

Excluded and invisible children

UNICEF in action

UNICEF in action

Early childhood

Early childhood

Primary education

Primary education

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding

Nutrition

Nutrition

Children with special needs

Children with special needs

Child participation

Child participation

Partners

Partners

Newsline

Newsline

Real lives

Real lives

 

Breastfeeding

© WABA

Promoting breastfeeding
In 2005, UNICEF with the Ministry of Health and the Malaysian Association of Breastfeeding organised the Symposium on Complementary Feeding of Young Children to draw attention to the value of continuing to breastfeed children up to two years and beyond as well as to share insights for making complementary feeding easier, healthier and a time for learning and love. 

The regional meeting was launched by Her Royal Highness Permaisuri Nur Zahirah, Permaisuri Terengganu.

Maternity protection
According to Ministry of Health analysis of national breastfeeding data, exclusive breastfeeding rates in the country are high in the first two months but drops rapidly after two or three months, roughly the period when maternity leave ends and working mothers return to paid employment.

In 2008, UNICEF joined the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development and the National Family and Population Development Board (LPPKN) to support the Breastfeeding Information Bureau’s Forum titled “Working Women and Breastfeeding”. 

The Forum produced a ‘Memorandum on Maternity Protection Supporting Working Women’ which advocates for working women to be given maternity leave of four months to facilitate exclusive breastfeeding.

Public awareness
UNICEF works to promote and protect breastfeeding in Malaysia through communication platforms which includes support to local advocates, advocacy packages to policy makers and opinion leaders, and the UNICEF Malaysia website.

In 2008, UNICEF joined forces with Media Prima Group’s Hot.fm and Fly.fm radio stations to produce 30 second public service announcements in English and Malay. 

Media Prima Group sponsored both the production and airtime for the PSAs which were aired daily over a week leading up to World Breastfeeding Week.