We Have the Act. Time to Create the Awareness

The provision of the Maternity Bill extending maternity leave to mothers The provisions of the bill will apply to all organizations that employ 10 or more persons and is expected to benefit over one million women working in the organized sector.

Given the majority that the ruling government enjoys, its passage in the Lok Sabha is guaranteed, after which the Labour Ministry will notify the changes.

As per the amendments, maternity leave for women in the private and public sector will be increased to 26 weeks as against the present 12 weeks. However, those who already have two or more children will get 12 weeks of leave only.

The bill also proposes 12 weeks maternity leave to mothers who have children through surrogates as well as working women who adopt a baby below the age of three months. The Act will also allow nursing mothers to work from home after the 26-week maternity leave ends, depending upon the nature of their job.

However, the real work starts now. While the provisions are a progressive measure, there needs to be awareness created for the benefits of this to come through. The period after birth is critical for both the mother and the child’s health and the root of the amended act lies towards preventing malnutrition. That is the primary purpose of the Act, which is not to be treated as a holiday.

Passing the Act has to go along with creating awareness about breastfeeding and other measures that are to be taken to secure the health of the child and the mother. There needs to be a well thought out policy to promote breastfeeding, which is still lacking in India. Various studies show that less than 25% mothers in India initiate breastfeeding in the first hour after birth.

The WHO says that initiation of breastfeeding within an hour after birth could bring Infant Mortality Rate by as much as 22%. Nearly 77% of child deaths worldwide are attributed to non-exclusive breastfeeding during 0-6 months of life.

Both the WHO and UNICEF recommend breastfeeding within an hour of birth, only breast milk for the first six months, and continued breastfeeding up to the age of two years, along with appropriate complementary food.

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