Mother in court for not breastfeeding baby

A 31-year-old woman, Juliet Afi Mawuli, is facing the District Magistrate Court at Bechem in the Tano South District of the Brong Ahafo Region for not breastfeeding her baby for ten days.

The Tano South District Director of the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative (CHRAJ), Owusu Bediako Appah in an interview with XYZ News said:

“I heard a report from the sister-in-law that the lady is not breastfeeding her so I went to find out why she was behaving that way. I found out that the lady was based in Accra but came to Bechem to deliver after her sister, Janet Bemah who was also breastfeeding had agreed with her that she will breastfeed her baby after delivery so that she goes back to Accra to cater for her two other children.

“However, the agreement did not work out and for ten days the baby was not breast-fed. After receiving the information I reported the incident to the Bechem Police who caused the arrest of Juliet and her subsequent prosecution at the court,” Mr. Owusu recounted.

The Bechem Police, upon inquiring from Juliet Afia Mawuli on why she is not breastfeeding her baby said, “She has two children and one is preparing for the B.E.C.E. that is why she arranged with her sister who is also breastfeeding to breastfeed her baby so that she can go back to Accra where she is based in order to work and cater for the two children".

The Bechem Magistrate Court has however ordered the Department of Social Welfare to take charge of the baby after the first appearance of Juliet at the court.

She is supposed to appear in court on May 13, 2013