Lactica, a Lebanese Non-Governmental Organisation concerned with the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding within the Lebanese society, organized a peaceful "nurse-in" with a group of mothers, fathers, children and babies on Sunday 16h November at 17:00 in City Mall, Dora.
This nurse-in was organised in support of a mother and child who were publicly yelled at and humiliated for breastfeeding discreetly in the changing rooms of a clothes and accessory store in City Mall.
While the mother was shopping with her young child and relatives, her child asked to breastfeed and the mother proceeded to ask a staff member if she could sit in the changing room, to which the employee accepted. However, seconds later, the store manager stormed into the changing room and told the mother that it was "prohibited" to breastfeed there as the place was meant for changing clothes, proceeding to give her other absurd reasons that supposedly justify her illogical reaction.
Breastfeeding is the most natural and normal way to feed babies and children, providing not only the perfect and most suitable nutrition for them but also a safe, comforting and secure tool for parenting.
Lactica demands that the store management and its head office issue an immediate and public apology to the mother and child and that all efforts are made to train their staff in the need to treat everyone that enters their store with the utmost respect and courtesy, while doing everything within their capacity and means to support mothers who need to attend to their children's immediate needs.
