Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies – Call For Action

As the bushfire and cyclone season is upon us, mothers, infants and young children are set to be stranded yet again without the backing of a national policy or any plans to ensure the coordination of appropriate and skilled support for breastfeeding and infant and young child feeding is available in times of emergencies and disasters.

Almost 40 organisations say that’s not good enough.

Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine

Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)

Australian Association of Social Workers

Australian Breastfeeding Association

Australian College of Children’s and Young People’s Nurses

Australian College of Midwives

Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine

Australian Federation of Medical Women

Australian Health Promotion Association

Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation

Australian Women’s Health Network

Breastfeeding Advocacy Australia

Breastfeeding Coalition Tasmania

Centre of Perinatal Excellence

Council for Single Mothers and their Children

Equality Rights Alliance- Women’s Voices for Gender Equality

Gender and Disaster Pod

Homebirth Australia

International Lactation Consultant Association

Lactation Consultants Australia New Zealand

Maternal Scholars

Maternal, Child and Family Health Nurses Australia

Maternity Choices

Maternity Consumer Network

National Foundation for Australian Women

National Rural Health Alliance

Perinatal Society of Australia New Zealand

Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Association (PANDA)

Public Health Association of Australia

Safe Motherhood for All

Salvation Army

Save the Children Australia

Soroptimist International Australia

UNICEF Australia

VicHealth

Zonta District 22 and 23

They urge the government to live up to their commitment in the Australian National Breastfeeding Strategy: 2019 and Beyond and the decades of human rights treaties that have preceded this action.

Infants can’t wait decades, let’s make this happen.

Sign our petition here and share with colleagues, friends and family.

Read our press release and get in touch with our spokespeople.