Cambodia bans breast milk exports after international media coverage
Even in the case of international news
articles and stories that are covered are meant to inform about or help the
people they are writing about. Sometimes media coverage of a certain topic can
do more damage than intended. Not many know that in Cambodia impoverished women
are selling their breast milk to make money to support their families. Majority
of the sales made are done so by a company known as Ambrosia which is an
American company. But these actions soon came into the light when they were
exposed by an article found on Phnompenh
Post . This article wasn’t meant to cause harm or to stop the trade of
breast milk in Cambodia. The article also stated, “Ros Sopheap, head of NGO
Gender and Development for Cambodia, said there was a tradition in Cambodia of
mothers breastfeeding the infants of neighbors who could not express milk
temporarily. “Occasionally we help each other,” she said. When asked what she
thought of adults consuming breast milk, she laughed. “That’s very strange.
This is the first time I’ve heard about it.” Even though the article was well
informing and light hearted the organization started getting a lot of heat from
higher officials after it was posted.
Most of the worry came from the idea that these
women are being exploited for their breast milk. It was stated that “mothers were paid between $0.50 and $1 for each
30ml of breast milk, which was collected twice a day. “, that totals out to
about $7-10 a day which is enough for these women to provide for their
families. Another concern was these companies are stealing milk from the
children in need to go to adults if they wanted it.“The sale of breast milk is a global trend, with mothers selling their
excess lactation online via sites like Only the Breast to mothers who need it
for their newborns, as well as to bodybuilders seeking “liquid gold”, cancer
patients and breast milk-fetishists who get a sexual charge from consuming
mother’s milk. Ambrosia insists its milk is sold to mothers who cannot supply
enough milk on their own.”
Since the article was
made the trade of breast milk in Cambodia has since been banned and many new
mothers are out of “work”. “At its
annual meeting on Tuesday, the Cambodian Ministry of Women’s Affairs named the
sale of breast milk and participation in commercial surrogacy as two of the
newest issues impacting Cambodian women today.”
Phnompenh
Post . With all the commotion about the sale of breast milk many poor women
are suffering far worse because they are no longer able to sell. A Cambodian
woman stated, “I would give some of my breast milk to my daughter and the rest
to the company to sell,” she said. “I am very sorry that they closed. I am very
poor, and I don’t know what to do.”
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