Protest called after breastfeeding mother asked to leave shop

VARIOUS mothers from Marbella have organised a protest at a commercial centre in the city on November 5 to speak out against discrimination.

The protest stems from an incident that occurred in a shoe store at the La Cañada shopping centre. Roser Sabater was accompanying a friend when her three-month-old baby started to cry so she sat down on a bench inside the shop to feed her. After five minutes of feeding the baby and keeping herself covered up she was asked by a shop attendant to move to the toilet, where there were apparently parent and baby changing facilities.

“It’s discriminatory and insulting that I should have to lock myself up in a room to feed my daughter when there are women that wear plunging necklines that show more cleavage than I do when I’m feeding,” said Mrs Sabater according to a report in Diario Sur. She added that it’s good that these areas are available for parents but it shouldn’t mean that they are forced to use them.

The shop attendant who asked Mrs Sabater to move has said she was only following orders from the company as there are only two seats and there are people who don’t like seeing mothers breastfeeding in public.

The protest is to take place on Saturday November 5 at 10.00am and intends to explain to parents more about the laws surrounding breastfeeding.