Netizens slam organization for posting picture of woman breast-feeding child on subway

A picture of a woman breast-feeding her child while traveling on the Beijing subway posted by a weibo user and shared by a non-profit organization on Friday has sparked a controversy online.

The organization shared the image along with the following text: “Don’t bare sexual organs in a public place.” The post added that by doing so the woman was treating the subway as a “local bus in a village.”

Within a matter of a few hours, the post went viral, with many netizens hitting out at the organization.

Shishusi said, “posting the picture is essentially invading her privacy and inhuman. Since it is not easy to set up nursing rooms in public places quickly, I think if we encounter such a situation, we should just not look and bless people quietly.”

Wangzhian argued that “while setting up nursing rooms along the subway system might be impractical, it is possible to reserve female-only carriages on trains. Mothers with infants could take these special carriages, and besides, it could also help reduce sexual harassment on the subway.”

Under fire from netizens, the organization deleted the post and issued an apology saying that, “the initial purpose was to create a discussion on the issue and not to place blame.” Later the organization said that they were temporarily closing and cancelling the account.

However, the apology hasn’t stopped the torrent of criticism that the organization is facing online.

A weibo user named Ou Qian, who identifies herself as a doctor and a mother, argued that, “It’s better to wear a nursing bra, but don’t worry, breasts are child’s granary and not a sexual organ. What’s wrong with the Beijing subway? An Argentinean senator even breast-fed her child in parliament.”