Exclusive breastfeeding slips in Bangladesh as support gaps persist across five countries
Data released during World Breastfeeding Week show Bangladesh's exclusive breastfeeding rate has fallen, while coverage remains incomplete in Indonesia, Nigeria, Argentina and Ghana.
Bangladesh's exclusive breastfeeding rate has dropped to 55% from 65% in 2017-18, pushing the country from first to sixth among developing nations, according to a seminar convened by the Bangladesh Breastfeeding Foundation and the health ministry. The decline, which leaves 45% of infants without exclusive breastfeeding, was attributed by the foundation's director, Khurshid Jahan, not to maternal failure but to a combination of inadequate hospital care, insufficient post-Caesarean follow-up and restricted maternity leave.
In Indonesia, coverage rose from 52% in 2017 to roughly 66% in 2024, per WHO and UNICEF figures, yet one in three infants still misses exclusive breastfeeding. Dr Naomi Esthernita Dewanto of the Indonesian Paediatric Society's breastfeeding task force identified minimal accompaniment and education for mothers, the pressures of returning to work (implicated in about 45% of failures) and pervasive formula promotion as the main barriers.
Argentina illustrates the policy dimension: a CIPPEC report released for the week finds half of all workers lack any birth-related leave, and the two-day paternity entitlement is South America's shortest. Exclusive breastfeeding there falls from 54% to 45% between two and six months of age. In Nigeria's Niger State, coverage stands near 49% against a national average of about 56%, prompting a UNICEF-backed road-walk campaign, while Ghana reports that only about half of infants are exclusively breastfed by four to five months.
Bangladesh's 2013 law restricting unethical marketing of breast-milk substitutes remains poorly enforced: more than 1,000 hospitals that once held "baby-friendly" designation have lost that status, and trained health workers are not being deployed. With a national target of 60% exclusive breastfeeding by 2030, organisers are calling for regular monitoring and accountability to reverse the slide.
| Sub-Saharan African press | +0.20 | neutral |
|---|---|---|
| Indian & South Asian press | −0.60 | critical |
| Latin American press | −0.70 | critical |
| Southeast Asian press | −0.20 | neutral |
Health authorities and African families promote breastfeeding as a community duty, valuing the role of fathers and doulas in supporting mothers.
By telling stories of family support and street campaigns, it shifts attention from structural deficiencies to individual and family responsibilities.
It omits structural barriers such as lack of parental leave or hospital violations that hinder breastfeeding, as well as alarming data from other countries.
Child health experts and seminar participants denounce the decline in breastfeeding and the complicity of hospitals, demanding urgent intervention.
The quantification of decline (65%→55%, first→sixth) and the accusation of hospital violations create a sense of emergency and institutional responsibility.
It does not acknowledge community efforts or the role of parental leave, focusing only on numbers and hospital violations.
The CIPPEC report and civil society voices denounce an outdated leave system, demanding reforms to guarantee the right to care.
The use of data on birth rates and female employment, along with the metaphor of the 'last century', portrays current policies as obsolete and unjust.
It does not provide data on actual breastfeeding rates, focusing only on access to leave, and ignores cultural factors and family support.
Pediatric association experts and doctors provide practical guidance to families, seeking to improve habits without a frontal attack on institutions.
The normalization of the problem through concrete advice and medical language reassures families, depoliticizing the issue.
It does not address structural causes such as lack of leave or promotion of substitutes, limiting itself to practical advice.
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