First Lady Sajidha Mohamed, has said that the Maldives has achieved significant progress in protecting the health and wellbeing of mothers and children over the past two years.
She made the remarks in a social media post to mark World Breastfeeding Week.
The First Lady highlighted that the time and sacrifice mothers dedicate to breastfeeding their children is one of the greatest expressions of maternal love. She noted that breastfeeding strengthens a child's immune system, fosters a strong bond between mother and child, and lays the foundation for lifelong health and wellbeing.
She also pointed to a number of important achievements made over the past two years to improve maternal and child health. Among these is the extension of paid nursing breaks for working mothers, allowing them time to breastfeed their children, from one year to two years. She added that further measures have been introduced to strengthen paid maternity leave and expand health protections for mothers and children.
The First Lady stressed the importance of mothers making full use of the rights and support provided by the Government, including maternity leave and nursing breaks, to ensure children have the healthiest possible start in life. She also emphasised that supporting mothers is a shared responsibility of families, employers and society as a whole.
Under recent amendments to the Employment Act, mothers returning to work after maternity leave are entitled to two paid 30-minute nursing breaks each working day to attend to their child. Previously, this entitlement was available for one year after childbirth, but amendments ratified in mid-March this year extended the period to two years.
In addition, the law provides mothers with six months of maternity leave following childbirth.
This year's World Breastfeeding Week theme is "Prioritise Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support Systems." In line with the theme, the First Lady called on everyone to renew their commitment to strengthening support for breastfeeding and ensuring sustainable measures that benefit mothers and children.
World Breastfeeding Week is observed annually during the first week of August.