About a hundred mothers took their flash mob style protest to the MTR on Saturday by breastfeeding inside the station and on trains.
The mothers covered themselves in blankets to feed their children at Tai Wai station, ahead of the Mother’s Day on Sunday.
MamaMilk Baby Alliance, the group which organised the action, said many breastfeeding mothers were being discriminated against in Hong Kong for feeding their children in public area.
“Despite there being a rise in the awareness of breastfeeding being the most healthy option for babies, many [mothers] face a lot of difficulties,” a spokeswomen for the group said.
She said the women were often being asked to feed their babies in toilets, since most shopping malls lack breastfeeding facilities.
It hoped to raise awareness of breastfeeding and fight for the rights for mothers to breastfeed their babies in public spaces.
The group urged the government to legislate on the mothers’ right to breastfeed in the public area, so they would not face discrimination.
The World Health Organisation recommends breastfeeding for the first six months of a child’s life.
But only 2.3 per cent of mothers in Hong Kong exclusively breastfed their baby for six months, according to a 2013 survey by the Department of Health of babies born in 2012.
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1942138/breastfeeding-flash-mob-descends-tai-wai-mtr
