Lawmakers call for mandatory public breastfeeding rooms

Legislators have called on the government to change the law and make it mandatory for new and existing government buildings and other public places to have breastfeeding rooms.

The motion proposed by Democrat legislator Lee Wing-tat was passed at a Legislative Council meeting yesterday.

'Breastfeeding has been proved to be beneficial for both mothers and babies, but there is the lack of facilities for mothers in Hong Kong to encourage them to do that. They are forced to feed their babies in toilets when they go out, and this is not hygienic,' Mr Lee said.

He urged the government to educate members of the public about the advantages of breastfeeding so that they would not discriminate against mothers who breastfed babies in public places.

'The government should promote it more and change the mentality of members of the public about breastfeeding.'

Both the Liberal Party's Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee and Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong's Tsang Yok-sing, whose daughters have just had babies, supported the motion.

'It is very difficult for my daughter to breastfeed her baby after her maternity leave, as she cannot take her baby with her to work. She has to find a way to pump and store her milk for the baby,' Mr Tsang said, adding that breastfeeding facilities should be installed at workplaces.