Motherhood in Chains: Detention and Other Violations of Liberty

09/21/20 • 25 min

Brave Voices, Bold Actions: Women's Health, Rights & You

Too often, treating women with respect is seen as a luxury. It is not. Violations of human rights during childbirth are all too common in labor wards, hurting women’s chances of surviving pregnancy and childbirth.

This episode of White Ribbon Alliance’s Brave Voices, Bold Actions podcast explores Article 7 of the Respectful Maternity Care Charter, and the human right to liberty, autonomy, self-determination & freedom from arbitrary detention during pregnancy and childbirth.

We start with the story of Marie who was detained in a rural Haitian health center for two months after giving birth. Then we chat with Kay Sandberg and Amanda Coslor from the Global Force for Healing and the Compassionate Birth Network about what needs to be done to ensure every mother, everywhere, receives quality, equitable healthcare during pregnancy and childbirth - no matter what.
Together, we have the power to destroy the structures that harm women during pregnancy and childbirth!

Topics:

Why does the right to liberty and freedom from arbitrary detention matter for women's health?
What happens when the human right to freedom from arbitrary detention during pregnancy, childbirth, and after is abused?
Why is childbirth and maternal & infant care often excluded in funders’ agendas for women’s human rights?
How can the Respectful Maternity Care Charter save the lives of women across the world?

Transcripts and more information available at www.whiteribbonalliance.org/bravevoicespodcast

Topics:

Why does the right to liberty and freedom from arbitrary detention matter for women's health?
What happens when the human right to freedom from arbitrary detention during pregnancy, childbirth, and after is abused?
Why is childbirth and maternal & infant care often excluded in funders’ agendas for women’s human rights?
How can the Respectful Maternity Care Charter save the lives of women across the world?

Transcripts and more information available at www.whiteribbonalliance.org/bravevoicespodcast

Previous Episode

Birth Justice & the Right to Healthcare

This episode of White Ribbon Alliance’s Brave Voices, Bold Actions podcast explores Article 6 of the Respectful Maternity Care Charter, and the human right to healthcare and to the highest attainable level of health.
We start with two very different experiences of birth, from Elvia Rosario Muñoz Martínez in Mexico and Helen Abdul from Nigeria. Then we talk with Birth Justice activist Naa Hammond, and Australian midwife and Birthing on Country advocate Cherisse Buzzacott, about what needs to be done to ensure every mother, everywhere, receives quality healthcare during pregnancy and childbirth.
Together, we have the power to destroy the structures that harm women during pregnancy and childbirth!

Topics Covered:

What is Birth Justice, and what does it look like in practice?
How can donors and governments ensure women’s voices are heard and their rights are protected during childbirth?
What is Birthing on Country, and how is it helping Aboriginal mothers in Australia during pregnancy and childbirth?
How can the Respectful Maternity Care Charter save the lives of women across the world?

Transcripts and more information available at www.whiteribbonalliance.org/bravevoicespodcast

Next Episode

undefined - En Español - COVID-19: el reto para México y la salud de las mujeres/Spanish-language episode - COVID-19: The Challenge for Mexico and Women’s Health

En Español - COVID-19: el reto para México y la salud de las mujeres/Spanish-language episode - COVID-19: The Challenge for Mexico and Women’s Health

Respectful care and a life free from abuse is due to every woman in every health system around the world – no matter what. Even during the current COVID-19 crisis.
In this very special Spanish-language episode of the Brave Voices, Bold Actions podcast, we’re talking about the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on pregnancy and childbirth in Mexico.
More than ever, women and newborns need quality maternity care services—and healthworkers must be supported to provide that care. There are no exceptions in times of crisis, even the current COVID-19 pandemic, which is putting more pressure on already over-strained health systems around the world.

We hear from Maura Giron, from Chiapas, about her experience navigating a pregnancy that started just as COVID hit Mexico, and from doula Annie Arenas, who shares her experiences adapting and continuing to provide care for women during the time of COVID. We are joined by Dr. Karla Berdichevsky, the Director of Mexico’s National Center for Gender Equity and Reproductive Health about the steps governments are taking and can take together with civil society partners, to continue prioritizing women’s sexual and reproductive health.
Together, we have the power to destroy the structures that harm women during pregnancy and childbirth, during crises and beyond!
TOPICS

How has COVID-19 impacted women’s experiences of pregnancy and childbirth?
How can healthworkers be better supported to provide the care that mothers need during this pandemic?
What can governments and individuals do to ensure all women and newborns receive the respectful, dignified care they need during childbirth—even during a crisis?

Brave Voices, Bold Actions: Women's Health, Rights & You - Motherhood in Chains: Detention and Other Violations of Liberty

Transcript

Diana Copeland (00:05):
Too often treating women with respect is seen as a luxury. It is not. Respectful care and a life free from abuse is due to every woman and every health system around the world. No matter what. Not only is respectful care a right, it is also vitally important to improving women's chances of surviving pregnancy and childbirth. On White Ribbon Alliance’s Brave Voices, Bold Actions podcast, we're taking a close look episode by episode at the 10 basic rights wo