Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, December 7"900 kilometers of high-speed, I didn't find a working mother and baby room. Not long ago, the mother and baby room became a hot topic on social platforms, and netizens complained about the experience of finding and using the mother and baby room, and at the same time, they also put forward more expectations for the ideal mother and baby room.
What is the gap between the reality and the good expectations? How to better make mother's love free of "obstacles" and let "mothers" realize "freedom of mother and baby room" as soon as possible? The reporter recently visited many places to conduct investigations.
It is inconvenient to find and use the mother and baby room
Walking into the "mother's hut" of a department store in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, baby changing tables of different sizes are placed in an orderly manner, three nursing rooms are separated independently, and there are caring care products such as anti-spillage nursing pads and breast milk fresh-keeping bags. Ms. Zou, who lives and works in the surrounding area, is a regular visitor here.
The picture shows the "mother's cabin" in a department store in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hu Mengxue.
The reporter visited and found that at present, most of the large shopping malls, some subway stations, high-speed rail stations and other public areas in the city are equipped with mother and baby rooms, and most of the mother and baby rooms can meet basic needs such as feeding and changing diapers. However, in some smaller shopping malls, high-speed rest areas and other areas, nursing rooms are not common.
The consensus of many respondents that some of the signs in nursing rooms are not eye-catching. Ms. Zou said that the conditions of the several maternal and infant rooms she frequents are good, but because she is not familiar with online search channels, if there is no obvious sign when she goes to an unfamiliar place, it is easy to fall into the dilemma of "can't find it and can't ask questions". Ms. Gong, a "mother" who lives in Yuyao, Zhejiang, recalled: "I often have to ask the staff, and sometimes I hold the baby by myself and run up and down to find it for a long time, which is really inconvenient. ”
After finding the location of the mother and baby room, many parents were dissuaded by long queues, occupied, locked, and poor surrounding environment.
Some respondents said that some mother-and-baby rooms were "locked" inside or "locked" outside, or even occupied by unrelated people, which greatly reduced the experience. The mother and baby room is set up next to the toilet and sometimes smells strong, and the smoke smell is often strong when it is set up next to the smoking room. "Faced with such a situation, it is impossible to feed in it at all. Ms. Zhang, a citizen of Tianjin, said.
The reporter's investigation found that the facilities of different mother and baby rooms are uneven. Ms. Xu, who lives in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, just gave birth to a baby this summer, and faced with the situation that there is "no nursing chair" in some mother-and-baby rooms, she can only choose to sit on the toilet lid and barely complete the feeding. In addition, hot water at the sink and bottle warmer in the room are also common needs of many parents.
Behind the gap between reality and expectations
In 2016, the "Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of Maternal and Child Facilities" jointly issued by ten departments and units including the former National Health and Family Planning Commission proposed that transportation hubs, commercial centers, hospitals, tourist attractions and sightseeing and entertainment public places with a construction area of more than 10,000 square meters or a daily passenger flow of more than 10,000 people should establish an independent maternal and infant room with a usable area of not less than 10 square meters and be equipped with basic facilities.
The picture shows the mother and baby room in a subway station in Hangzhou. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaojie.
However, at present, the setting of the mother and baby room has not yet met the requirements, and there is still a certain distance from people's expectations. Why?
Experts believe that the operators do not set up a mother-and-baby room, some people occupy the mother-and-baby room, or equate the third toilet with the mother-and-baby room, reflecting the overall public awareness needs to be strengthened. Zhang Jing, deputy director of Beijing Lianggao Law Firm, pointed out: "The economic value of large public places is generally higher, and in the eyes of some public place operators, the setting of the maternal and infant room is not directly related to the economic interests themselves, but more of a manifestation of social responsibility. ”
Upfront planning is also a big reason. Li Gang, director of the Population Monitoring and Family Development Division of the Hangzhou Municipal Health Commission, said: "There is no reserved space in the early planning and construction of individual sites, which makes it difficult to add and reconstruct them in the later stage, so we will classify the mother and baby rooms according to the site conditions. Now, for new premises, we will communicate with the venue authorities in advance to reserve a suitable space for the mother and baby room. ”
In terms of management, experts believe that first, the capital investment is insufficient. Li Gang said that at present, most of the funding subsidy policies for maternal and infant rooms introduced in various places are one-time subsidies, and a continuous capital investment mechanism has not yet been established. Second, the persuasion-based regulatory approach has limited effect. "There are no penalties involved in the mother and baby room at this time. Cai Jun, the project leader of the mother and baby room of the Guangzhou Breast Milk Love Volunteer Service Team, said.
Achieving "freedom of mothers and babies" requires the efforts of all parties
In 2021, the Action Plan for the Promotion of Breastfeeding (2021-2025) jointly issued by the National Health Commission and other departments proposed that by 2025, the allocation rate of maternal and infant facilities in public places should reach more than 80%; All employers that should be equipped with maternal and infant facilities have basically established standardized maternal and infant facilities. Achieving this goal requires the joint efforts of all parties.
The picture shows the mother and baby room in a shopping mall in Nankai District, Tianjin. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Yating.
Only by improving standards and forming laws and regulations can we better protect the rights of mothers and infants. Zhang Jing said.
In recent years, various localities have continued to explore this aspect. Guangdong Province has promulgated the "Technical Specifications for the Safety of Maternal and Infant Rooms", and Shenzhen has included the "Maternal and Infant Room Allocation Rate in Public Places" into the index system of women's development planning. Zhejiang Province has implemented the provincial local standards of "Maternal and Infant Room Construction and Management Specifications", which stipulates the requirements for the construction, management, service and supervision and improvement of maternal and infant rooms, taking Hangzhou as an example, 738 maternal and infant rooms in public places in the city have been built, and the standardization rate has reached more than 95%......
In response to the management of maternal and infant rooms, various localities have also continued to innovate practices. In Zhejiang, the launch of the "Smart Mother and Baby Room" service platform allows parents to quickly find nearby mother and baby rooms and find the exact location according to the navigation route, and detailed information such as grade and facility configuration is also convenient for users to conduct personalized screening. In Guangdong, Guangzhou in order to ensure that the "special room is dedicated", some maternal and infant rooms are equipped with electronic door locks, and users dial the contact posted next to them, and there will be staff on duty to open the door as soon as possible; Shenzhen has set up a team of social supervisors for the maternal and infant room, and established an expert database to evaluate and promote the construction and operation management of the maternal and infant room.
Cai Jun said that the training and guidance of the construction and maintenance units of the maternal and infant room should be strengthened, and at the same time, the publicity and popularization of science should be continued to enhance the attention and support of all sectors of society for the construction and management of the maternal and infant room. "I hope that with the efforts of all parties, the 'freedom of mother and baby room' will be realized as soon as possible, and we'll be more at ease when we travel with our babies. Ms. Gong's husband, Mr. Hu, told reporters.
Xinhua News Agency reporters Zhang Xiaojie, Hu Mengxue, Li Yating.