In a recent widely circulated press event, Abdullah Al Jaber of Inqilab Moncho sparked controversy with his scientifically unfounded and socially irresponsible remarks. Despite issuing a tepid apology later, the situation calls for immediate attention. Jaber suggested that a significant number of infant measles fatalities in the country result from a lack of immunity due to inadequate breastfeeding. While this aspect of his statement is in line with expert views, the problem arose when he claimed that 55% of mothers purposely refrain from breastfeeding to maintain their physical appearance.
This scenario is all too familiar in Bangladesh, where the spotlight often shifts to the female body during systemic crises like increasing crime rates, eroding social values, or public health emergencies such as the current measles outbreak. The female body becomes an easy target in our national discourse. When a woman faces assault, her clothing choices and lifestyle are scrutinized. When a child is critically ill, the mother is interrogated. By portraying a medical tragedy as a consequence of women’s alleged self-centeredness, Jaber not only insulted every mother in the country but also shielded the government and healthcare system from the responsibility they owe to the 451 children who reportedly succumbed to measles.
Why is it so effortless to discuss a woman’s body as if it were public property? How can a man lacking medical or nutritional expertise confidently attribute a national crisis to the perceived vanity of millions of women? In today’s digital age, targeting women often appears as a quick way to grab attention. It is a convenient tactic that taps into our ingrained bias of blaming individuals rather than addressing systemic failures of the state.
To comprehend the fluctuations in breastfeeding rates, one must consider the circumstances of women’s lives. A recent report highlighted a troubling statistic: around 1.6 crore individuals in Bangladesh faced severe food insecurity last year. The nation grapples with nutrition and food stability issues. When a mother is undernourished and lacks access to a balanced diet, her ability to breastfeed is naturally compromised. It is not a choice but a biological consequence of poverty. Data from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) indicated a drop in the rate of exclusive breastfeeding from 65% in 2017-18 to 55% in 2022. However, experts attribute this decline not to mothers but to factors like superstitions, lack of awareness, and inadequate promotion as significant obstacles to exclusive breastfeeding. They also highlight the frequent violations of the Breast-Milk Substitutes (BMS) Rules 2017, where many organizations fail to offer six months of maternity leave or breastfeeding facilities, further discouraging working mothers from exclusive breastfeeding.
A glaring lack of structural support for working mothers is evident in Bangladesh. The country’s economy heavily relies on female labor, particularly in the garment sector and informal economy. How many of these women receive adequate postpartum leave? How many workplaces provide the necessary facilities and time for breastfeeding? When a mother is compelled to return to work shortly after childbirth because she cannot afford to lose income, she is not prioritizing her physical appearance but rather her survival.
Moreover, the narrative that criticizes women for not breastfeeding due to fitness concerns disregards the realities of postpartum depression, inadequate community healthcare support, and the immense burdens faced by women in a patriarchal society with limited safety nets.
By transforming a public health crisis into a moral crusade against women, the actual causes of measles fatalities, such as gaps in immunization programs, insufficient vaccination campaigns, and widespread malnutrition, are sidelined. It is a classic diversion tactic. While the public debates the morality of mothers, the institutions accountable for child health evade scrutiny. A half-hearted apology cannot undo the harm caused by such rhetoric. A mother who lost her child to a preventable disease like measles bears an unimaginable sorrow. Accusing her of prioritizing her physique in the face of such grief is a cruel act that no apology can rectify.
We must demand discussions rooted in data, sociology, and medical science, rather than the biased whims of individuals at press conferences. The children of this nation deserve a functional healthcare system and a society that supports their mothers. They should not be used as pawns to perpetuate misogynistic narratives. If we wish to discuss competence, let us focus on the ethical integrity of our leaders speaking on public platforms and the institutional capability of the state to care for its most vulnerable citizens. Anything else serves as a dangerous distraction.
