The visibility of breastfeeding as a sexual and reproductive health right: a review of the relevant literature

Abstract

Background Governments must protect and apply maximum feasible resourcing to the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding in order to meet their international legal obligations with respect to the human rights of women and children. However, governments across the world have consistently failed in these duties. Breastfeeding has been notably absent from mainstream feminist advocacy on sexual and reproductive health rights (‘SRH rights’). Why is there this lack of focus on breastfeeding in feminist advocacy in this area? This review seeks to identify the extent to which the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding is visible within the SRH rights and the gender responsive budgeting literature. Method A cross-disciplinary single scoping literature review of online and other databases was conducted to yield final samples of eighty-seven publications from the SRH rights literature and forty-four publications from the gender responsive budgeting literature. These publications were searched for references to breastfeeding. Results Only 21% of the sexual and reproductive health rights literature and just one gender responsive budgeting publication sampled referenced the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding. Where breastfeeding was mentioned in the publications reviewed it was, in general, brief and on the periphery of discussion. Conclusions Reviews of the SRH rights literature and the gender budgeting literature both reveal an overwhelming absence of meaningful analysis on breastfeeding. The lack of attention to breastfeeding in the gender advocacy space represents a lost opportunity to advocate for the alleviation of the economic and social constraints imposed on breastfeeding women and caregivers.

Mother’s autonomy on reproductive health in the context of breastfeeding: Policy in Indonesia

“…The study also reveals that "..meaningful discussion of breastfeeding is overwhelmingly absent from the sexual and reproductive health rights literature..". Moreover, align with Galtry, Stone and Smith assert that discussions concerning breastfeeding have given much weight to children's right to health (Stone and Smith, 2022). Prioritizing infant's right to be breastfed over mother's right of autonomy would certainly affects the appreciation to the later.…”

“…Discussions elaborating breastfeeding under the sphere of mother's sexual and reproductive rights is trifling. Study by Stone and Smith upon 87 publications which are English written, published in 2003 and afterwards, collected mostly from online databases such as ScienceDirect, SagePub, JSTOR, ProQuest and Google Scholar, with some exemptions, found that more than 70 percent of the publications do not refer or discuss about breastfeeding (Stone and Smith, 2022). The study also reveals that "..meaningful discussion of breastfeeding is overwhelmingly absent from the sexual and reproductive health rights literature..".…”

“…Hausman argues that it is essential to use right-based approach (in this context is mother's right of autonomy upon her reproductive health) instead of the opposite obligation-based, for breastfeeding issues, in order to preserve what Hausman called as "structural elements influencing personal decisions and practices" (Smith et al, 2012). Paucity of concern on breastfeeding within the context of women's reproductive health, leads to unsatisfactory social support to mother's autonomy (Stone and Smith, 2022), including the policy and regulations. (Hellum, 2021).…”

Breastfeeding and infant care as ‘sexed’ care work: reconsideration of the three Rs to enable women’s rights, economic empowerment, nutrition and health

“…Breastfeeding is initiated with the child first suckling at the breast and may continue for some years. Pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding form a reproductive continuum and breastfeeding is a biological process that has reproductive health implications and reproductive rights associated with it ( 38 , 50 , 51 ). However, breastfeeding is both a biological and social phenomenon.…”

How midwives and nurses experience implementing ten steps to successful breastfeeding: a qualitative case study in an Indonesian maternity care facility

“…In 2016 UN Human Rights Agencies reinforced women’s human rights on breastfeeding, including to be fully enabled to breastfeed such as by BFHI implementation, of adequate maternity care, and comprehensive implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes in all countries to protect informed decision-making. A recent review indicates that there is poor awareness of women’s human rights regarding breastfeeding in women’s sexual and reproductive rights literature, although children’s rights are better known [ 14 ].…”