World Breastfeeding Week 2009
Its We the People Who Can Bring Change: Lets ACT NOW!!
World Breastfeeding Week starts on August 1, (1-7 August). The theme
is Breastfeeding, A Vital Emergency Response: Are You Ready?
You can find out more download materials and find events at: http://www.worldbreastfeedingweek.org/
UNICEF and WHO have made statements in support of the week, which is
coordinated by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action.
UNICEF's statement includes: "Around 9 million children under five die
every year, largely from preventable causes... According to the
Lancet, optimal breastfeeding in the first two years of life,
especially exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, can have
the single largest impact on child survival of all preventative
interventions, with the potential to prevent 12 to 15% of all under
age 5 deaths in the developing world... This year's World
Breastfeeding Week provides an opportunity to sensitize policy-makers,
donors, implementing partners and the general public to the benefits
of breastfeeding, to its particular importance in emergency
situations, and to the need to protect and support mothers to
breastfeeding during emergencies."
You can find the full UNICEF and WHO statements via links at:
http://boycottnestle.blogspot.com/2009/07/wbw-2009.htm
One country facing an emergency is Malawi, one of the world's poorest
countries, where 13% of the populations is infected with HIV.
In conditions of poverty, infants have a better chance of escaping HIV
and being protected from other infections if they are exclusively
breastfed. Yet in Malawi, Nestlé is promoting its formula with a logo
claiming that it 'protects'. Formula is very expensive and those that
believe the claim that the formula 'protects' may well use it
alongside breastfeeding - mixed feeding is the worst possible scenario
for the transmission of the virus.
It is a government requirement that tins have warnings that breastmilk
is best for babies, but Nestlé refused to translate these into
Chichewa, despite a government request to do so, because of 'cost
restraints'. It took a Baby Milk Action campaign that led to Mark
Thomas highlighting this irresponsible marketing on UK television, to
change Nestlé's minds, and further campaigning to persuade Nestlé to
show cup feeding, rather than bottle feeding, in line with government
policies. See:
http://www.babymilkaction.org/CEM/compfeb00.html
So campaigning works. Now we need to persuade Nestlé to remove the
'protect' logo from labels in Malawi and elsewhere in the world. You
can help by sending a message to Nestlé. You will find the information
you need to do so on our July Campaign for Ethical Marketing action
sheet, which is now available on our website at: http://www.babymilkaction.org/cem/cemjuly09.html
Also featured on the action sheet is a call on Danone/Milupa to stop
using claims for its formula that have been found to be untrue in a
ruling last week from the UK Advertising Standards Authority. Although
these breach the advertising code's clauses on substantiation,
truthfulness and comparisons, the code is voluntary and it remains to
be seen whether similar claims will be removed from labels and other
promotion stopped. There is also a call for Mead Johnson to stop
making untrue claims about its formula.
If politicians fulfilled their responsibility to implement the baby
food marketing standards adopted by the World Health Assembly, then
public campaigns would not be necessary and there would be progress
towards stopping the millions of preventable under-5 deaths.
You can help put pressure on politicians by signing the ONE MILLION
CAMPAIGN petition. If you have already signed, visit the campaign
website to see what action you can take to encourage friends and
colleagues to sign up. See: http://www.onemillioncampaign.org
Action Alert
1. Make an opportunity to call upon companies and your leaders to END
ALL KINDS OF PROMTIONS of Baby Foods by 2015.
2. If you would like to submit the One Million Campaign Petition to
your Head of the State, please use the opportunity to do so.
At this link http://www.onemillioncampaign.org/press-release1.aspx
you can find the Petition letter, and petition submitted to the
President of the World Health Assembly in May 2009.
Another link http://www.onemillioncampaign.org/doc/draft-letter.doc
provides a draft for you to use to write to your Head of State.
3. If you have not yet signed up the petition on One Million Campaign,
lease do so and invite people you know to sign up !
Million Thanks!
Team ONE MILLION CAMPAIGN- Support Women to Breastfeed
www.onemillioncampaign.org
Dr. Arun Gupta, MD, FIAP,
Regional Coordinator
International Baby Food Action Network(IBFAN) Asia.
Member, Prime Minister's Council on India's Nutrition Challenges.
BP-33 Pitampura, Delhi 110088 INDIA
Phones: 09899676306,
91-11-27343608(off)
91-11- 27026426(home)
WOULD YOU LIKE TO
SUPPORT BREASTFEEDING WOMEN ?
Sign a petition !
And invite your friends to sign up by importing your mail addresses of
GMAIL, YAHOO or AOL.
http://www.onemillioncampaign.org/en/Details_Petitions.aspx
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