Legislation
in the Brazilian city – which officials believe to be the first of its kind –
was approved last week and is expected to be signed into effect in next 20 days
The Guardian, Jonathan Watts in Rio de Janeiro, Thursday 19 March 2015
More than 1,000 mothers breastfeed their babies during the National Meeting of Breastfeeding in Santos, Brazil, in 2010. Photograph: Getty Images |
Latin
America’s largest city is poised to pass legislation that would levy a £100
fine on any business or organisation that prevents women from breastfeeding in
public.
The
ordinance in São Paulo – which local officials believe to be the first of its
kind in the world – follows street protests in recent years by lactating mothers who feel marginalised by prejudice even though the benefits of
breastfeeding are recognised by the World Health Organisation and promoted by
the national government.
The
regulation was approved by the São Paulo municipal government last week and is
expected to be signed into effect by Mayor Fernando Haddad within the next 20
days.
Concern
about prejudice towards nursing mothers has been brought into the national
spotlight by a series of incidents involving women being reprimanded by
officials for “embarrassing” bystanders, or being called a “slut” by observers.
The highest
profile occurred last year, when model Priscila Navarro Bueno was scolded by a
security guard for breastfeeding her seven-month-old daughter during a David
Bowie exhibition at the Museum of Image and Sound in Sao Paulo
“Unfortunately
society is still very puritanical. During Carnival women can show their
breasts, but it is not permitted to do so to give milk to your child. It is
absurd that woman have to breastfeed in a hidden room,” Navarro Bueno said at
the time.
In protest
at such displays of intolerance, nursing mothers have organised three annual
“Mamaço Time” protests. Last year, about 40 mothers breastfeed their babies on
Avenida Paulista – the city’s main thoroughfare – and chanted “Breastfeeding is
my right.”
Simone de
Carvalho, representative of the Breastfeeding Solidarity movement, told local
media that it was important for society to fight against prejudice towards
breastfeeding, which was the “gold standard” of nutrition recognised by the
World Health Organisation.
The Museum
of Image and Sound has subsequently issued an apology and said staff have been
informed that women are nurse their children in public at the facility.
If the
mayor signs the new ordinance into effect, this could become policy at all
institutions and companies in the city.
Those who
violate the regulation will be fined 500 Rs (£103). One of the city councilors
who first proposed the bill in 2013 said the amount was symbolic, but would
support national health policies which have encouraged breastfeeding since the
1980s.
“We created
this measure not only because of the fine, but to make people realise it is
forbidden to veto (breastfeeding),” said Aurelio Nomura. “We understand that
prejudices must be broken.”
A new
long-term study in Brazil has shown that breastfed babies are more likely to
turn into intelligent, highly-educated and well-paid adults.
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