News

For Every Breastfeeding Employee, the Support They Need.

The 7,000 Days of Life Campaign

Hong Kong, 22 April 2024 - In the stride towards the wellbeing of children throughout their 7,000-day journey from prenatal stage to adulthood, Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF HK) hosted ‘Say Yes to Breastfeeding Corporate Training’ on April 19. This pivotal event, aimed at educating businesses on the essentials of cultivating breastfeeding-friendly workplaces, gathered enthusiastic responses from across sectors and industries.

Empowering Insights from Professionals

The workshop featured a panel of distinguished speakers from diverse fields, each contributing expert insights into workplace breastfeeding support:

Ms. Sandy Lung, Senior Training Officer at the Equal Opportunity Commission, explored the legal protections for breastfeeding women. She highlighted the revised Sex Discrimination Ordinance, which safeguards individuals breastfeeding or expressing milk for their own or adopted children, against workplace discrimination and harassment.

Dr. SUM Ming Yan, alongside Dr. FUNG Ka Wai, both from the Family Health Service of the Department of Health, explained the benefits of sustained breastfeeding and introduced practical guidance on establishing breastfeeding-friendly public places and workplace. They advocated for employers to formally commit to the implementation of breastfeeding-friendly measures at the workplace, which includes arranging lactating employees suitable space and lactation breaks etc. It is observed that increasingly more workplaces offer support to breastfeeding in recent years. Yet, many mothers still gave up breastfeeding because of going back to work. Corporates are welcome to access more relevant resources from the webpage of the Family Health Service of the Department of Health.

Ar. Mike Yeung, a representative of The Hong Kong Institute of Architects, shared important design principles for breastfeeding rooms. She emphasized the significance of privacy, practicality, innovation, aesthetics, sustainability and adaptability to existing buildings. These architectural considerations play a vital role in creating supportive spaces for breastfeeding.

Dr. Rosanna Wong, Chairperson of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative Hong Kong Association, shed light on the benefits and mechanism of breastmilk donation. She mentioned that the breastmilk donation system is in preparation and will include screening processes for prospective donors, aimed at benefiting more infants in need.

Ms. Fiona Zhuang, Member of Advocacy Committee of UNICEF HK, expressed gratitude to all the guests for taking the time to attend and contribute to creating a breastfeeding-friendly environment. She is delighted to see that since the launch of ‘Say Yes To Breastfeeding’ campaign in 2015, over 1,900 companies have participated to make their workplaces more breastfeeding-friendly. She mentioned that UNICEF HK will regularly organize public education activities to raise awareness about breastfeeding in the community.

This training workshop marked an important milestone of UNICEF HK’s mission to advance a supportive work culture for breastfeeding mothers. We are overwhelmed by the positive feedback from attendees and confident that the ‘Say Yes To Breastfeeding’ initiative will continue to gain momentum.

Looking Ahead

In an ongoing commitment to this cause, UNICEF HK is excited to announce the upcoming Breastfeeding Room Design Competition. This competition calls for innovative and practical designs for breastfeeding facilities. Stay tuned for more updates and we look forward to your participation!