When I was twenty-four, I experienced obstetric violence. It is not something people talk about, and often they do not even call it what it is. Yet in late 2019, a special UN report was published that recognized obstetric aggression as a human rights violation and proposed ways of addressing the problem internationally. A woman has the right to dignified and respectful treatment during childbirth and related obstetric care. But do all obstetric practitioners know this?
It was five in the evening when I woke up with a strange sensation. I got up, and my waters broke. “It is time,” I thought, “but why doesn’t it hurt?” I panicked, instantly imagined several possible bad scenarios, comforted myself and gave myself encouragement. I changed clothes, we called a taxi and went to the maternity hospital.