In order to promote the right to breastfeed in workplaces, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS), the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) and UNICEF signed a Memorandum of Understanding in which there will be specialized advice so that The government of Mexico has regulations and public policies regarding Breastfeedingparental leave and installation of childcare centers in workplaces.
This was reported at an event held at the STPS where the head, Luisa Maria Mayor Lujan He explained that for the labor authorities there is an obligation to think “what else can we do to be able to promote this practice within the companies, we must direct our efforts so that all work centers, no matter how small, medium or large, have decent spaces for the proper exercise of breastfeeding.
In his turn, Mauricio Hernández, director of Economic and Social Benefits of the IMSS; highlighted that “unfortunately, the practice of breastfeeding in Mexico is low, in the ENSANUT 2006, the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding at six months was only 23%, the good news for 2021 is that we are making progress, and it was of 35.9, there is an opportunity gap.”
He added that for this reason and as part of promote lactation We have included the Safe Work Environments strategy, ELSSA, in the recent launch we launched, actions for the health and well-being of women in breastfeeding are included.
They agreed that this is a way to guarantee dignified or decent work, as established in article 2 of the Federal Labor Lawwithin the framework of which the STPS promotes labor equality and, within it, the right of women to decent work, where their decision to become mothers is respected and, therefore, to have the possibility of reconciling work responsibilities and relatives.
In this way, the installation of a lactation room in the work space allows working mothers to exercise their right to breastfeed in safe and hygienic conditions, while work centers can mitigate the risk of job rotation of qualified employees and the absenteeism due to breastfeeding.
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