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He also recalled that there were no community nurseries and kindergartens, noting that he would do his best to participate in their setting up in accordance with the government policy.

Kata Orn, spokesperson of the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training told CamboJA that in a previous project, they cooperated with partners to build 13 nurseries in two provinces.

At the moment, the ministry is scouting for places to build nurseries. It was important that the nursery is near the factory zone but not in the factory as it might affect the children.

“We want to have a nursery and community kindergarten with standard, so that workers are less worried when their children stay in the nursery and study at the kindergarten,” said Orn.

While the plan to build nurseries or kindergartens exists, the ministry continues to seek cooperation from partners and business owners because the government needs some investment to make it successful.

“We need investors. Let us see if the employer has the budget to allocate for workers and if our ministry or the government has any budget for this. So, we are still in the process of deciding and advertising to all factories.”

Say Sokny, secretary-general of Federation of Free Trade Unions, observed that not many factories have fully functioning nurseries or kindergarten near their workplace.

“This [issue] is not only evident in garment factories, but in other workplaces where workers don’t have a breastfeeding room,” Sokny told CamboJA.

According to Article 184 of the Labor Law, in the first year of childbirth, mothers are entitled to breastfeed their infants up to one hour a day during working hours.

Article 186 states that directors of enterprises with more than 100 workers should also set up nursing rooms for women with small children.

Mothers can choose to have the one-hour period divided into two 30-minute sessions in the morning and afternoon, at a time agreed with her employer. In the absence of consent, hours shall be taken at the end of each working hour.

“The law is good but from what I heard from workers, most of the female workers leave their children with their grandparents at home so that they can go to work easily because factories don’t have [a nursery],” said Sokny. ​

Cambodia is committed to increasing the rate of breastfeeding by 85% for infants and children between zero and six months by 2030.

From January 2018 to October 2023, there were 400,000 female workers who gave birth, according to a video produced by Central, based on a report by the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training.

The government should set up nurseries and kindergartens near the factories, as the number of female workers is large, therefore it would benefit workers in the long-term and is in line with national and international law, Central said.

Following a meeting with garment workers in August 2023, Prime Minister Hun Manet instructed the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training and other ministries to draw up an action plan in the next two years to establish community nurseries and kindergartens in the manufacturing area.

In an email to CamboJA, Ty Chan, UNICEF communications officer, said in Cambodia, national level breastfeeding rates have dropped significantly from 74% in 2005 to 50% in 2022.

It is worth noting that with the increasing number of women in the Cambodian workforce, with around 70% of them comprising working women aged 15 and above, an enabling environment that supports breastfeeding is crucial.

“UNICEF, WVI and other development partners are collaborating with the government to focus on policy changes, infrastructure development, and community engagement to improve breastfeeding practices and the overall well-being of mothers and infants,” Chan added.

News source: https://cambojanews.com/garment-workers-ask-for-workplace-nurseries-to-enable-breastfeeding-and-protect-childrens-health/