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Respectful Maternity Care
Resources

Assisted Water Birth

Respectful Maternity Care Overview

The Respectful Maternity Care Charter was developed by a broad group of stakeholders including researchers, clinicians, human rights advocates, and consumers. The Charter addresses the issue of disrespect and abuse from maternity staff and provides a platform for improvement through seven distinct rights of childbearing women. These categories of disrespect were a result of the landscape analysis of the disrespect and abuse of women in childbirth, by Bowser and Hill (2010). These 7 main categories included physical abuse, non-consented care, non-dignified care, discrimination, abandonment of care and detention in facilities.  

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The Charter is designed to:

  • Raise awareness for women’s and newborns’ human rights that are recognized by the United Nations and other declarations and conventions

  • Highlight the connection between human rights and maternity services 

  • Align women’s right for high-quality, respectful maternal and newborn care with international human rights law standards;

  • Provide a framework for holding governments, the maternity care system and staff accountable to these rights;

  • Support maternity services and staff in providing respectful care to women and newborns and create a healthy working environment.

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The resources below are designed for consumers to aide in their understanding of rights, informed decision making and measuring the respect and autonomy of their care. 

Pregnant Photography

Obstetric Violence

Obstetric violence includes any act that causes harm in the context of pregnancy care. It is a type of violence against females (a gendered based violence) and a violation of human rights.  Any type of healthcare worker could be responsible for obstetric violence, whether obstetrician, midwife, pediatrician or Special Care Nurse. 

Contact

0401 033 348   (Alecia Staines, Founder) 

0424 787 357    (Emilia Baht, President)

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