Disrespect and abuse in childbirth in Brazil

Social Activism, Public Policies and Providers' Training

Bibliographic Data

ID4744557
AuthorsCarmen Simone Grilo Diniz (0000-0002-0069-2532, Universidade de São Paulo, corresponding author), Daphne Rattner (0000-0003-1354-9521, Universidade de Brasília), Ana Flávia Pires Lucas D’oliveira (0000-0003-1456-4184, Universidade de São Paulo), Janaína Marques De Aguiar (0000-0001-5974-1194, Universidade de São Paulo), Denise Yoshie Niy (0000-0003-0140-2063, Universidade de São Paulo)
Year2018
Volume26
Issue53
Pages19-35
Publication date2018-08-27
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReproductive Health Matters (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0968-8080 • E-ISSN: 1460-9576
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09688080.2018.1502019
PMID30106349
OpenAlexW2885868323
LanguageEN
Citations received38
References cited18

Brazil is a middle-income country with universal maternity care, mostly by doctors. The experience of normal birth often includes rigid routines, aggressive interventions, and abusive, disrespectful treatment. In Brazil, this has been referred to as dehumanised care and, more recently, as obstetric violence. Since the early 1990s, social movements (SM) have struggled to change practices, public policies and provider training. The aim of this paper is to describe and analyse the role of SM in promoting change in maternity care, and in provider training. In this integrative review using a gender-oriented approach, we searched the Scielo database and the Ministry of Health's (MofH) publications and edicts for institutional and research papers on SM initiatives addressing disrespect and abuse in the last 25 years (1993-2018) in Brazil, and their impact on public policies and training programmes. We analyse these groups of interrelated initiatives: (1) political actions of SM resulting in changes in public policies and legislation; (2) events organised by SM for diffusion of information to the public; (3) MofH policies to humanise childbirth with participation of SM; and (4) initiatives to change providers' training, including legal actions based on obstetric violence reports. To promote real change in maternity care, the progression of policies and enabling environment of laws, regulations, and broad dissemination of information, need to go hand in hand with changes in all health providers' training - including a solid base in ethics, gender and human rights

Childbirth · Health care · Legislation · Political science · Psychological intervention · Public health · Public relations · Global Maternal and Child Health · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Law · Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions · Medicine · Nursing

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