Constancia Santos began breastfeeding her nine-month-old son, Dante, when she 2 police men came up to her to “stop breastfeeding in public” and forbid her to do so. When Constancia asked them to explain which law she was breaking, they threatened to arrest her for resisting authority and inquired for hers and her child’s identity.

Currently there isn’t a law in Argentina that hinders a woman’s right to breastfeed in public, in fact nowhere in the World is there any legal rule that makes breastfeeding in public, illegal. When Constancia tried to report her experience with those police men, the Women’s Police Unit said that because it was not gender-based violence, what happened to her wasn’t a crime.

Fortunately, we live in the times of Social Media where people of similar opinion, views can voice themselves out and find support to a cause, worthy to pursue.

Santos posted a Facebook status about what happened and she was successful in gathering thousands of supporters willing to protest in the #TeteadaMasiva, or the massive breastfeeding protest.

On 30th July 2016, hundreds of Argentine mothers gathered to protest against the mistreatment of Constantia Santos in the Greater Buenos Aires region. Hundreds of mothers came together to breastfeed their children in public, in the same plaza where Santos was told it was illegal for her to breastfeed her son. Those who could not make it out on Saturday joined a “teteada virtual.”

Even some Argentine celebrities took to Instagram to show pictures of them breastfeeding their children.

Many men were also in attendance, with and without children. “I’m an advocate for nursing, an advocate for nursing when a baby is hungry,” said a father at the protest with his child in his arms. “It doesn’t matter where it is….. it’s not difficult.”

While we are taking about the “Breastfeeding Week” and witnessing campaigns like #BreastIsBest it is even more important to normalize breastfeeding, especially when Women’s bodies are used EVERYDAY to sell products and services all across the world.

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