NAWOJ advocates establishment of crèches, lactation rooms
Advocacy
By Talatu Maiwda
Abuja, Aug. 3, 2018(NAN) The National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) has advocated for the establishment of crèches and lactation rooms in all private and public organisations in the country.
NWAJ President, Mrs Ifeyinwa Omowole, at the at the Ministerial Press briefing/and launch of the 2018 World Breastfeeding Week and High Level Policy Dialogue on Breastfeeding in Abuja.
Omowole called for the for formulation of deliberate policies to ensure the establishment of crèches and lactating rooms in all private and public organisations in the country.
She further decried the poor commitment of National Assembly members to matters that affect women and urged them to prioritise issues of breastfeeding as it is a national assignment.
“A well breastfed child today is the future of Nigeria and as such the issue should be taken seriously through deliberate policies and laws to ensure that women have access to crèches.
“Also, the establishment of crèches and lactation rooms in market places at both local and state levels is very important as only few markets in the country have crèches for nursing mothers.
“We, as women journalists, work round the clock; we eventually become wives and mothers and for every mother, their hearts are always with their kids.
“We, therefore, ensured that all media establishments have crèches and almost all NAWOJ chapters in the states have a crèches to help female journalists.’’
NAWOJ President further made a commitment as women communicators to collaborate with health practitioners in disseminating and communicating relevant information on breastfeeding at rural communities and market places.
She said that women journalists would be available free of charge during all sensitisation programmes at all levels and would also speak in local dialects that the rural dwellers understand.
According to her, “Women journalists are skilled and are trained in all the Nigerian languages to communicate.
“This is important as the challenge is not that Nigerians don’t breastfeed but we don’t breastfeed right.
“We are, therefore, committed to collaborating with development partners as foot soldiers, to communicate to the people the importance of exclusive breastfeeding,’’ she added.(NAN)
TIM/NKO/NKO
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Edited by Nkechi Okoronkwo