Indonesia launches “Breastmilk is enough” campaign with GAIN during WBW2015

From 1 – 7 August 2015, the 2015 World Breastfeeding Week was celebrated in Indonesia and saw the launch of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) campaign entitled “Breastmilk is enough”. The campaign aims to raise awareness about the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding. GAIN are working with the Indonesian Ministry of Health to share the campaign through social media channels with emphasis on Facebook. The campaign is the start of a unique multi-channel behaviour change campaign with core messages around maternal nutrition, exclusive breastfeeding, optimal complementary feeding and healthy snacking.

The full campaign will be broadcast through national TV channels and amplified through digital media. GAIN are also working with health centres and the communities in East Java to encourage behaviour change on the ground. The campaign will run for 18 months through which time GAIN and the Ministry of Health hope to reach 50 million mothers and caregivers throughout the country.

In addition to the launch, articles were shared online to provide an insight into Indonesia’s breastfeeding laws and regulations.

Sigit Sulistyo from World Vision Indonesia wrote an article on the importance of supporting breastfeeding mothers at work in Indonesia. The article shares that the rate of exclusive breastfeeding in infants less than six months old has risen slowly (39 percent in 2003; 32 percent in 2007; 42 percent in 2012 – Indonesia Demographic Health Surveys). It states that one of the factors which negatively influence breastfeeding is increasing employment of mothers outside the home and the lack of support for breastfeeding at this workplace level.

Indonesia has provided laws and regulations to support breastfeeding mothers at work. The Labor Law (2003), gives three months of paid leave to mothers. At least 1.5 months of this maternity leave must be taken after the birth of the child. The law has also mandated employers to provide opportunities to female workers to breastfeed their babies during working hours.

A study conducted by Save the Children and the Indonesian Breastfeeding Mothers’ Association in 2011 showed that only 10% of government offices and 11% of private offices provided opportunities for employees to breastfeed/express breast milk during working hours. The Better Work Program Indonesia compliance report (2014) documented that 12 out of 67 garment factories surveyed in the Greater Jakarta Area, provided facilities, policies, or procedures for breastfeeding breaks. Reasons of low compliance were to do with most of the factory owners not being aware of the policy or of the direct benefit in providing breastfeeding protection for factories’ productivity.

The article further details progress made including The Better Work Indonesia Program and the Indonesian Breastfeeding Mothers’ Association who are working to promote a breastfeeding friendly workplace policy focusing on garment industries where most of the employees are female. The Government’s collaboration with the Employers’ Association of Indonesia has led to the Healthy Productive Women Workers Movement which includes the promotion of breastfeeding protection at work. The Ministry of Health and various NGOs working on nutrition have also conducted community and facility-based interventions to improve people’s awareness of the importance of breastfeeding and the ability of mothers to breastfeed or to express and store milk at home and in the workplace.

The Jakarata Post commemorated the week with articles about breastfeeding. One is an article about “What pro-breast-feeding hospitals look like” based on interviews with experts from the Indonesia Breastfeeding Mothers Association. Recommendations included rooming-In, no sponsorship, certified experts, lactation clinics and no bottle policies.  An opinion article by a Physician in South Sulawesi titled “Why is breastfeeding under threat?” includes the call to action: “We all have the opportunity to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. By promoting breastfeeding and proper feeding, we will be improving the health and saving the lives of children for their best possible start in life”. Lastly, the article “The extra miles in breastfeeding” provides the perspectives of the Indonesian Breastfeeding Association (AIMI) calls for further support. AIMI’s Chairwoman, Mia Sutanto says “Breastfeeding is indeed a natural act. Yet, in this modern and competitive world, breastfeeding mothers, especially the ones who work outside the house, face many challenges”.

Learn more about the “Breastmilk is enough” campaign: GAIN

Learn more about the World Vision Indonesia article: Eldis

Learn more about the Jakarta post articles: “What pro-breast-feeding hospitals look like”, “Why is breastfeeding under threat?” and “The extra miles in breastfeeding“