In response to recent public enquiries regarding a woman’s rights to breast-feed her baby in public, the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) today (3 June 2014) issued the following statement:

1. The EOC considers that it is a mother’s right to breast-feed her baby anywhere and at any time. Of course, whether a woman would choose to breast-feed in public is a personal decision. The public should accept there is a need for mothers to do so.

2. The EOC also supports nursing mothers to use all facilities or enjoy services as any other customer who does not have a baby. The issue might come under the Family Status Discrimination Ordinance, which stipulates that it is unlawful for any persons concerned with the provision of goods, facilities or services to the public to discriminate against a person who has a family status and seeks to obtain or use those facilities or services.  

3. The EOC asks for the provision of more baby care facilities in the community. Service providers and property owners, including the Government, are encouraged to provide facility such as baby care room for use by breast-feeding customers.

4. The EOC also condemns secret photography of women breast-feeding in public, which is a violation of personal privacy of the individual.
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For media enquiries, please contact Ms. Mariana LAW at 2106-2226.

Equal Opportunities Commission
3 June 2014