HCM City (VNA) – Only 24 percent of infants undersix months old in Vietnam are exclusively breastfed and 22 percent of childrenare breastfed until they reach two years old.

The numbers were released at a launching ceremony of abreastfeeding campaign held by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) inHo Chi Minh City on May 15.

The rates are even lower among children whose mothers areworkers at factories and have to stop breastfeeding early to return to work,heard the ceremony.

Lesley Miller, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Vietnam, saidthe campaign, themed “60 minutes working as a mum,” aims to create a betterlife for Vietnamese children.

The campaign targets female workers at factories, Lesley Millersaid, stressing that nursing workers should receive support in breastfeeding intheir workplaces.

Businesses should give nursing workers a 60-minute breakeach day in line with the Vietnamese Labour Law and build breastfeedingfacilities, she said, noting that efforts made by the enterprises willsignificantly contribute to raising the breastfeeding rate in Vietnam.

Yao Cheng Wu, Director of Pouyen Vietnam, said his companyset up a breastfeeding room in 2013 and plans to launch mobile breastfeedingfacilities to make it more convenient for nursing workers.

He added that 82 percent out of 74,000 workers in hiscompany are female. Each female worker on average takes14 days of leave per year to carefor their sick children aged under 12 months.

Meanwhile, breastfeeding enables infants to withstandinfections. Therefore, the promotion of breastfeeding helps reduce the numberof days off work of female workers, thus increasing the company’s productivity,he said.-VNA