Bukola Afeni
In commemoration of the International Women Day, Civil Society -Scaling Up Nutrition In Nigeria, (CS-SUNN) has called for the implementation of 6 months maternity leave with pay for working women by the government, states and organizations who are yet to implement the policy.
The body made the disclosure in a statement signed by the Executive Secretary, CS-SUNN, Sunday Okoronkwo.
CS-SUNN also urged employers to establish breastfeeding corners in workplaces for nursing mothers to have privacy and breastfeed their babies.
“We call for the implementation of 6 months maternity leave with pay for working women by the government, states and organizations who are yet to, as supporting breastfeeding in the workplace has significant human and economic benefits.
“In addition to maternity leave, we urge employers to establish breastfeeding corners in workplaces to facilitate nursing mothers’ access to a private and comfortable space for breastfeeding ormilkexpression. By creating breastfeeding-friendly workplaces, we promote women’s participation in the workforce while supporting their ability to provide optimal nutrition for their infants,” CS-SUNN added.
The Nutrition organization is also calling on the government from all levels and civil society organizations to end gender inequality and invest in Women so as to improve food and nutrition security in Nigeria.
” We are calling on governments, civil society organizations, businesses, and individuals to “Invest in Women, and accelerate Progress for optimal nutrition outcomes”.
According to CS-SUNN, at prime working age, only 61 per cent of women are in the labour force versus 90 per cent of men, while 1 in every 10 women in the world lives in extreme poverty (UN Women).
“Nigeria has the third highest maternal mortality ratio (512 / 100,000) translating to 225 deaths per day with Post Partum Haemorrhagebeing a key cause. (NDHS 2018, UNICEF estimates)
“4.5 million (58%) of an estimated 7.8 million pregnant women in Nigeria are anaemic. (NDHS2018, UNICEF estimates)”.
CS-SUNN said Nigeria cannot continue to miss out on Nutritionand gender-equality dividends.
“Ending gender inequality and empowering women will enhance priority interventions for improved food and nutrition security outcomes. Moreso,the role of women is critical attaining each of the pillars of food security availability, access, and utilization and throughout the agricultural value chain”, he added.
According to CS- SUNN, leveraging Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) at scale to strengthen Antenatal Care platforms across Primary Health Care centres will deliver high impact maternal nutrition interventions for Nigeria.
“It will reduce anaemia among pregnant women to 40% by 2025 (according to the National Multisectoral Plan of action for Food and Nutrition) and reduce anaemia among pregnant women by 50% by 2030 (SDGs2030)”.
CS-SUNN, recently supported the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to develop and validate the National Guideline on Women and Girl’s empowerment for optimal nutrition.
A road map designed to create a convergence of different interventions across sectors/policies .
“It specifically address the empowerment needs of women and girls to enhance their access to optimal nutrition to be adopted by policymakers, stakeholders, including government; civil society and private sectors/corporate implementers;academia; and development partners, all of whom are involved in designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating women and girls empowerment programmes at the national, state, and community levels.”
CS- SUNN also called for the domestication of the guideline in the states, and its full implementation and funding to promote women and girls’ empowerment to achieve optimal nutrition outcomes in Nigeria through a multi-sectoral approach.
