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Ten Steps for Nurturing
the Future
Following are Ten simple ways to support
and promote breastfeeding:
- HUMAN RIGHTS AND
RESPONSIBILITIES
Ensure that the human rights to and the responsibility
for food
security, for good health and a safe environment,
particularly for women
and children, are fully observed in order
to protect, promote and
support breastfeeding, and sound infant and
young child nutrition.
- FOOD SECURITY
Enable all women to practise exclusive breastfeeding
from birth to about
six months of age. Enable continued breastfeeding
and appropriate
complementary foods for up to two years of
age or beyond, contributing
to household food security. Strengthen government
and citizens' actions
that ensure adequate maternal nutrition and
food security for all l
Encourage production and use of appropriate
indigenous complementary
foods.
- WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT
Develop innovative social support systems
for all mothers, including
adequate maternity legislation. Strengthen
women's role in
decision-making at all levels and provide
accurate information about
infant and young child feeding.
- COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
Encourage the development of community support
groups, including
mother-to-mother support groups. Involve fully
the community, including
citizen groups, religious leaders and policy
makers in educational
partnership processes that empower all people
to improve infant and
young child nutrition, and thereby their own
lives.
- BABY-FRIENDLY
CULTURES
Ensure that the practices recommended in the
'Ten Steps to Successful
Breastfeeding' as elaborated in the Baby Friendly
Hospital Initiative
(BFHI) are implemented throughout the health
care system and by
traditional birth attendants. Expand the "baby-friendly"
concept to 
antenatal clinics, primary health care services,
work places and
communities, creating an environment where
every mother can naturally
and easily breastfeed.
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- INTEGRITY
Refuse any gifts, sponsorship or support from
manufacturers of infant
feeding products and accessories. Condemn
advertising that exploits
women's bodies and the use of products that
cause waste and harm the
environment.
- INTERNATIONAL
CODE
Push for the implemention of the International
Code of Marketing of
Breastmilk Substitutes and subsequent relevant
World Health Assembly
Resolutions through the adoption and enforcement
of strong national
legislation or regulations. Protect consumers
and healthworkers from
misleading commercial promotion, free trade
excesses and misinformation
about Codex Alimentarius provisions.
- CAPACITY BUILDING
Develop the capacity of health and childcare
workers, nutritionists,
government officials, social workers, citizen
groups and the community
in general to understand breastfeeding and
sound infant and young child
nutrition needs. Ensure that primary health
care staff, nurses,
midwives, doctors, specialists and other health
workers have adequate
training in breastfeeding and sound infant
and young child nutrition and
support the International Code of Marketing
of Breastmilk Substitutes,
related resolutions and other appropriate
international instruments.
- ADVOCACY
Advocate for the implementation of sound national
infant and young child
feeding policies which include the promotion,
protection and support of
breastfeeding and the timely use of appropriate
complementary foods.
Involve the media and citizens groups in creating
social pressure for
behavioural change towards supporting breastfeeding
and sound infant and
young child nutrition. Influence policies
and an economic, social,
political and physical environment that nurtures
sustainable human
development.
- NETWORKING
Contribute to the creation of local and national
networks of
organisations, individuals and govern-ment
agencies working for sound
infant and young child feeding, and broader
issues of child care. Link
and integrate these networks with regional
and international movements
from all sectors of civil society that seek
to nurture a sustainable
future.
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