The Siem Reap provincial Department of Environment has established a nursery for babies of women civil servants so they can take care and breastfeed them while at work.

This initiative, the department said, promotes women at the workplace, and other institutions at the provincial level under the Ministry of Environment can use also the facility.

Department director Sun Kong told The Post on July 26 that the nursery was established to promote the wellbeing of mothers and babies. There are currently 20 women employed at the environment.

“When they come to work their children can accompany them, rather than leave them at home where older relatives find it difficult to care for the baby because they are old. When they bring their babies here, they have other civil servants to talk with,” he said.

Kong added that the department had set aside a room for the nursery with toys. In the future, he expected that the department will expand services and offer food and nannies to care for babies, too.

Environment ministry spokesman Neth Pheaktra told The Post on July 26 that nurseries have been set up at the ministry and various environment departments using available resources to the best of their abilities and in line with the Labour Law.

“This service is provided because our staff are not only civil servants at the ministry and its departments but also mothers and fathers of babies. So this service assists them,” he said.

The Ministry of Women’s Affairs on July 26 lauded the environment ministry and the Siem Reap provincial environment department for setting up the nurseries.

“The smiles on the faces of civil servants and their family members are really meaningful when they get support from their workplace and leaders,” the women’s affairs ministry said in a Facebook post.