Mistreatment of Women in Childbirth: Time for Action on This Important Dimension of Violence against Women

The mistreatment of women in childbirth has been documented by researchers for over three decades in all global regions.The scale of the problem is indicated by a systematic review conducted by Meghan Bohren and colleagues [1], which provides a foundation from which a typology of violence can be developed and used as a basis for developing measurement instruments and tools.This is a valuable complement to other work that is currently underway in this area [2].A multicountry study on the mistreatment of women during childbirth could be extremely valuable in generating comparable information on prevalence, risk groups and facilities, and the health consequences (physical and mental, including future health-seeking practices and expectations).It would provide the foundation needed for developing health policy, monitoring its impact, and advocating for proper resources.