Women urged to report obstetric violence

AMMAN — Jordanian women have taken to social media to share stories of violence and abuse they experienced while giving birth. 

“Everyone gets happy and excited after the delivery of the baby but the mother,” Noor (name has been changed), who gave birth to two children, wrote in an anonymous social media post. She described her experiences as being “like a slaughterhouse”.اضافة اعلان

Labor abuse, or what is legally called “obstetric violence” is the process of abusing women during labor, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Obstetric violence includes verbal abuse, use of excessive force like rough abdomen compressions, and episiotomies, a surgical cut made to assist delivering the baby, often made without the mother’s consent.

“I got yelled at by the nursing staff so much during my first delivery. One of the nurses even slapped me,” Noor went on. “I had a long labor during my second delivery, the nursing staff kept compressing my abdomen with their full weight to get the baby out. It was so painful I kept passing out and coming back. My husband broke in and told the nurses to stop but they told him that it’s not his business.” 

A study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019 reported that 42 percent of women around the world face physical and verbal abuse during labor, with some being yelled at, slapped, mocked, gagged, and even forcibly held down.

“When my mom was delivering my little sister, the nursing staff played extremely loud Indian music to cover her yells. She started crying and begged them to turn off the music but they refused. One of the nurses slapped her so hard she passed out till the end of the delivery,” Lara (name has been changed) wrote. “It’s been more than 20 years and my mother is still truly traumatized from this experience.”

Medical professionals expressed different attitudes on the issue. Khaled Rababah, chief of the Jordanian Nurses & Midwives Council, told Jordan News that “I’m not denying the possibility of such allegations, but I’ve been the chief of the syndicate for three years and I’ve never received a complaint.”

“I’ll never witness injustice and remain silent. We’ll definitely investigate the matter and take necessary measures because this is unacceptable,” he added.

Alternately, Head of Gynecology and Obstetrics Department at the Ministry of Health Abdelmane Al-Suleimat told Jordan News that the “concept of violence is relative. Women sometimes get scared and uncooperative which puts the baby’s life in danger. It’s a nurse’s duty to yell at the patient to save her baby’s life.”

“I don’t think anyone would see a baby’s life in danger and not react. It’s a measure adopted everywhere in the world. It has to be done!”

However, he pointed out that there is a limit to the measures nurses and doctors should employ during childbirth. “Compressing the abdomen is medically unacceptable. It helps push the baby faster but it has drastic consequences on both the mother and the baby,” he said. “I encourage all women to report these violations. You’re welcome any time to head to the ministry’s office and file a complaint. Help us help you.”

A user on Facebook echoed the allegations, pointing to malpractice conducted by some members of health staff. The user, who identified herself as a nursing student, claimed to have witnessed yelling and violence perpetrated by healthcare providers against women in labor, as well as women forced to give birth on the floor due to lack of beds.

These stories were compiled and shared anonymously by Ala Hamdan, a filmmaker and founder of HERstory Arabia, who shared them on her popular Twitter account, where she has over 40,000 followers.

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