A recently published statement by United Nations' experts said “Breastfeeding is a human rights issue for both the child and the mother” (United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2016).

It declares that children have the right to life, survival, and development and to the highest attainable standard of health, as well as to safe and nutritious foods. Breastfeeding must be considered an integral component of these rights. Breastfeeding is also a rights issue for women (Galtry, 2015).

A mother is not obligated to breastfeed her child, but no one may interfere with a mother's right to breastfeed her child (Kent, 2006).

Women have the right to accurate, unbiased information needed to make an informed decision about breastfeeding and the right to an environment that enables them to carry it out. The importance of breastfeeding is now widely understood. It reduces child mortality, increases child cognition, improves maternal and child health, and fosters economic development (Victora et al., 2016).