Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Tuesday ordered the concerned government bodies to take necessary steps to set up breastfeeding corners and baby care units at all mills and factories across the country within two months.
Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Director General of the Directorate of Labour have been asked to submit separate reports in the court complying with the order within the time.
The High Court bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman passed the order after hearing a supplementary petition filed by a Supreme Court lawyer Ishrat Hasan and her nine-month-old child Umair Bin Sadi.
Section 94(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006, said, “In every establishment, where 40 (forty) or more female workers are ordinarily employed, one or more suitable rooms shall be provided and maintained for the use of their children who are under the age of 6 (six) years.”
Section 94(7) of the act said, “The said rooms shall be adequately furnished and in particular, 1 (one) cot or cradle with bed shall be kept there for each child, and there shall be at least one chair or any similar seat for the use of each mother while she is feeding or attending
to her child, and adequate and suitable toys shall be supplied for the comparatively older children.”
Advocate Ishrat Hasan took part in the hearing on behalf of the petition. She said, the law was enacted in 2006 for establishing breastfeeding corner. But it has not been implemented yet. Therefore, we filed the petition.
Following a writ petition, the High Court on October 27, 2019, issued a rule upon the government to explain in four weeks as to why they should not be directed to take necessary steps to set up breastfeeding corners and baby care units at all work places, shopping malls, airports, bus stops and railway stations across the country.
The High Court bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by the same petitioners.
In the rule, the court also asked the authorities concern of the government to explain as to why the Women and Children Affairs Ministry would not be ordered to formulate a guideline to establish breastfeeding corners and baby care units at public places and their inaction to set up breastfeeding corners and baby care units at all work places, shopping malls, airports, bus stops and railway stations across the country should not be declared illegal.
Cabinet Secretary, Women and Children Affairs Secretary, Health Secretary, Public Works Secretary, Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary and other respondents had been asked to comply with the rule.
The writ petition was filed with the High Court on October 24 saying that the mothers feel uneasy to feed their children at the workplaces, shopping malls, airports, bus stoppages and railway stations as there is no specific breastfeeding and baby care corners.
The High Court on Tuesday ordered the concerned government bodies to take necessary steps to set up breastfeeding corners and baby care units at all mills and factories across the country within two months.
Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Director General of the Directorate of Labour have been asked to submit separate reports in the court complying with the order within the time.
The High Court bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman passed the order after hearing a supplementary petition filed by a Supreme Court lawyer Ishrat Hasan and her nine-month-old child Umair Bin Sadi.
Section 94(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006, said, “In every establishment, where 40 (forty) or more female workers are ordinarily employed, one or more suitable rooms shall be provided and maintained for the use of their children who are under the age of 6 (six) years.”
Section 94(7) of the act said, “The said rooms shall be adequately furnished and in particular, 1 (one) cot or cradle with bed shall be kept there for each child, and there shall be at least one chair or any similar seat for the use of each mother while she is feeding or attending
to her child, and adequate and suitable toys shall be supplied for the comparatively older children.”
Advocate Ishrat Hasan took part in the hearing on behalf of the petition. She said, the law was enacted in 2006 for establishing breastfeeding corner. But it has not been implemented yet. Therefore, we filed the petition.
Following a writ petition, the High Court on October 27, 2019, issued a rule upon the government to explain in four weeks as to why they should not be directed to take necessary steps to set up breastfeeding corners and baby care units at all work places, shopping malls, airports, bus stops and railway stations across the country.
The High Court bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by the same petitioners.
In the rule, the court also asked the authorities concern of the government to explain as to why the Women and Children Affairs Ministry would not be ordered to formulate a guideline to establish breastfeeding corners and baby care units at public places and their inaction to set up breastfeeding corners and baby care units at all work places, shopping malls, airports, bus stops and railway stations across the country should not be declared illegal.
Cabinet Secretary, Women and Children Affairs Secretary, Health Secretary, Public Works Secretary, Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary and other respondents had been asked to comply with the rule.
The writ petition was filed with the High Court on October 24 saying that the mothers feel uneasy to feed their children at the workplaces, shopping malls, airports, bus stoppages and railway stations as there is no specific breastfeeding and baby care corners.
