New UNICEF report calls for national policies to support families with young children

A new report by the UNICEF has urged Sri Lanka and others to implement national policies to support families with young children.

UNICEF said whilst Sri Lanka does provide paid breastfeeding breaks during the first six months to women working within the government sector, women in other sectors and especially those employed in the ‘informal’ sector have little or no provision. Further parental leave is not uniform, if provided at all, and as yet two years of free pre-primary education is not provided nationwide.

“Earlier this month Sri Lanka set out a bold vision to build ‘a knowledge-based economy, which will be driven by our intellectual capabilities’. Achieving this will depend, in a large part, on ensuring our children and young people can reach their full intellectual potential – and this means caring for their brains especially in early childhood, when the science shows that their brains and their futures are being rapidly shaped,” UNICEF Sri Lanka Representative Tim Sutton said. 

“Family friendly policies – including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and free access to preschool – that enable parents and caregivers to support children during this period are therefore critical.  For Sri Lanka to progress at the pace we want, this report shows that we must move policy in this area.”

The report titled ‘Early Moments Matter for Every Child’ was launched yesterday by UNICEF at a high-level United Nations General Assembly side event, to be attended by Ranjan Ramanayake, Deputy Minister of Social Empowerment, Welfare and Kandyan Heritage. 

According to UNICEF only 15 countries worldwide have three basic national policies that help guarantee the time and resources parents need to support their young children’s healthy brain development. Worse, 32 countries – home to one in eight of the world’s children under five – have none of these policies in place.

Two years of free pre-primary education, paid breastfeeding breaks during the first six months of a child’s life, and six months of paid maternity leave as well as four weeks of paid paternity leave help lay a critical foundation for optimal early childhood development. These policies help parents better protect their children and provide them with better nutrition, play and early learning experiences in the crucial first years of life when the brain grows at a rate never to be repeated. 



The report notes that Cuba, France, Portugal, Russia and Sweden are among the countries that guarantee all three policies. However, 85 million children under five are growing up in 32 countries without any of the three critical policies in place. Surprisingly, 40% of these children live in just two countries – Bangladesh and the United States. 

The report also highlights that millions of children under five years old are spending their formative years in unsafe, unstimulating environments.