Midwives and human rights: dream or reality?

Area of Science:

• Human Rights Law
• Midwifery Practice
• Gender Studies

Background:

• Midwives, predominantly women, experience human rights violations mirroring those affecting women globally.
• Understanding these violations is essential for midwives to implement protective measures.
• Childbearing women are particularly vulnerable to specific gender-based human rights abuses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify gender-based human rights violations affecting women during childbearing.
• To explore the ethical and legal underpinnings of human rights in relation to women's personhood.
• To provide guidance for midwives to combat these violations.

Main Methods:

• Review of human rights principles and their application to women's health.
• Analysis of gender-based violations impacting maternal care.
• Integration of International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) guidelines.

Main Results:

• Identification of key violations: personal safety, dignity, equitable healthcare access, informed decision-making.
• Discussion of the ethical imperative to recognize women as fully human.
• Emphasis on the midwife's role in upholding women's human rights.

Conclusions:

• Midwives must be educated on human rights to effectively address violations.
• Empowering midwives supports women's rights during the childbearing continuum.
• Collaborative efforts between midwives and women are vital to ending gender-based abuses.