Watchdog condemns 'secret photos' of breastfeeding mothers

Secretly photographing women nursing their children in public is a violation of personal privacy and infringes on a mother's legitimate right to do so, the anti-discrimination watchdog says.

The Equal Opportunities Commission lashed out yesterday at "secret photography" of women breastfeeding in public, condemning it as a "violation of an individual's personal privacy".

The strongly worded statement comes after a photo of a woman breastfeeding a child on a bus, apparently taken without consent, went viral over the internet, drawing heated debate over issues of privacy and public decency.

"The EOC considers that it is a mother's right to breastfeed her baby anywhere and at any time," the statement read. "The public should accept there is a need for mothers to do so."

The commission called for service providers and property owners, including the government, to provide more facilities in the community for nursing mothers.

The local branch of La Leche League, an international non-profit organisation that promotes breastfeeding, welcomed the statement.