Fajarasia.co – The chairman of the DPR, Puan Maharani, has pushed for 6 months of maternity leave, following the ongoing discussion of the Maternal and Child Welfare (KIA) Bill in the DPR.
Commissioner of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission, Retno Listyarti, sees the urgency of the MCH Bill to be very great for Indonesian civilization.
“The existence of an ideal maternity leave will make a mother who has just given birth have good mental and physical health and the child can be well-maintained and cared for,” said Retno to reporters, Sunday (19/6/22).
Retno agrees that the current work system requires a mother who has just given birth to work immediately for a month. This company’s demands sometimes penetrate the mother’s right to take care of her child during exclusive breastfeeding.
“Many female workers take time off before giving birth and have returned to work after a month after giving birth because sometimes the company demands. This may be urgent to fix,” explained Retno.
Furthermore, Retno emphasized that the intense close relationship between mother and child greatly affects the bond between mother and baby. This is a non-negotiable right.
“Because maternity leave will have a very positive impact on the bond between mother and baby, reduce the risk of infant mortality, increase the success of breastfeeding, and so on,” concluded Retno.
In her statement some time ago, Puan emphasized the importance of rearranging the period of maternity leave, which is important to ensure child development and recovery for mothers after giving birth. In addition, this maternity leave is also to reduce the stunting rate with the role of the mother being more dominant.
“The DPR will continue to carry out intensive communication with various stakeholders regarding this matter. We hope that the government’s commitment to support this regulation is for the future of the nation’s next generation,” said Puan.*****
