Unicef urges boost to maternity leave

Thailand should increase the length of paid maternity leave to 180 days, up from 90 now, to help mothers better look after their children and provide babies with higher nutrition from breast milk in the crucial first six months of life, says Unicef.

According to a 2016 survey on children and women in Thailand conducted by the National Statistical Office with support from Unicef, only 23% of children in Thailand are exclusively breastfed during the first six months of life.

One of the reasons for the low rate of breastfeeding in Thailand is that mothers need to return to work after three months of maternity leave and have limited or no access to a workplace lactation room, breastfeeding breaks or flexible work hours.

“Breastfeeding is truly a way to ensure that a child has the best start in life,” said Thomas Davin, Unicef Representative for Thailand. “Extending maternity leave will have many benefits for children and their mothers, but also for the future of Thailand.

“Maternity leave allows a mother to nurture and bond with her child, to engage and stimulate the child’s cognitive development, and breastfeed the child exclusively for six months, ensuring that the child gets all the nutrition it needs in these critical first months of life,” he said.

According to the report, Early Moments Matter for Every Child, paid breastfeeding breaks during the first six months of a child’s life, six months of paid maternity leave as well as four weeks of paid paternity leave and two years of free pre-primary education help lay critical foundations for optimal early childhood development.

These three essential policies help parents better protect their children and provide them with better nutrition, play and early learning experiences in the crucial first years of life when the brain grows rapidly, the report added.

However, Unicef said only 15 countries worldwide now have three basic national policies that help guarantee the time and resources parents need to support their young children’s healthy brain development.

Unicef’s report notes that Cuba, France, Portugal, Russia and Sweden are among those countries that guarantee all three policies. However, 85 million children under five are growing up in 32 countries without any of the policies in place. Unicef said 40% of these children live in just two countries — Bangladesh and the US.

In Thailand, while pre-primary education is free, paid-maternity leave is only for three months and paid paternity leave for just 15 days in addition to being only for government employees. Thailand still does not have a national policy on paid breastfeeding breaks.