Obstetric Violence Awareness and Advocacy: Identifying Gender Based Violence in Maternity

Recent trends of the excess of medical intervention during childbirth, particularly in uncomplicated births, along with an alarming spread of coercive and abusive practices towards women during childbirth requires immediate attention. This paper serves to address and bring awareness to the existence and extent of a form of gender-based violence, referred to as obstetric violence. The following in-depth literature review of 25 publications explores obstetric violence from various perspectives. In the discussion, I define the concept of obstetric violence and its forms of occurrence in care, examine conceptions and institutions which aid in the maintenance of the issue, suggest strategies for the potential elimination of obstetric violence, and propose future interviews with recent mothers and medical staff to further understand the implications of obstetric violence. Obstetric violence is a violation of human rights and a public health problem and demands global recognition and action.