Obstetric violence and human development: knowledge, power and agency in Colombian women’s birth stories

Abstract

Obstetric violence was firstdescribedin Latin America, consisting ofviolence perpetrated mainly by health workers against women during pregnancy, birth or postpartum. Itaffects women worldwide and representsa challenge for human development,asit negatively affectswomen’s health and rights.This study reflectson the experiences of obstetric violence of a group of Colombian women, bringing visibility to their experiences and analyzing the language they use as a way to understand the issues underpinningthesenarratives. We adopted qualitative research with in-depth interviewsand analyzedthe narratives using discourse analysis.This research highlighted: 1) the women’s point of view;despite not being aware of the term “obstetric violence,”their experiences fit into thiscategorythat isoften naturalized; 2)a hierarchy of knowledge with the biomedical model as authoritative, in which health professionals do not give adequate weight towomen’s experiences orknowledge; 3) the relations between obstetric violence andhuman development, consideringwomen’s (dis)empowerment and the limitations that these abusesimplyforwomen’s freedom andagency.