23/07/2024
Everyone deserves to be treated with care, respect, and dignity. Do you know about the Respectful Maternity Care Charter created by The White Ribbon Alliance? It is an invaluable resource for mothers, parents and healthcare providers and sets out the principles of respectful care during your pregnancy, childbirth and early parenting journey. Below are the ten key principles and you can find out more information (including the legal backbone behind each principle) at this link: https://whiteribbonalliance.org/movements/respect-campaign/
Respectful Maternity Care Charter: The Universal Rights of Women and Newborns
*1. Everyone has the right to freedom from harm and
ill-treatment.*
No one is allowed to physically hurt you or your newborn. You should both be taken care of in a gentle and compassionate way and receive assistance when experiencing pain or discomfort.
*2. Everyone has the right to information, informed consent, and respect for their choices and preferences, including companion of choice during maternity care and refusal of medical procedures.*
No one is allowed to force you or do things to you or your newborn without your knowledge or consent. Every woman has the right to autonomy, to receive information, and provide informed consent or refusal for care. Every parent or guardian has the right to receive information and provide informed con- sent or refusal for their newborn’s care, in the newborn’s best interests, unless otherwise provided by law.
*3. Everyone has the right to privacy and confidentiality.*
No one is allowed to share your or your newborn’s personal or medical information, including all records and images, without your consent. Yours’ and your newborn’s privacy must be protected, except as necessary for healthcare providers to convey information for continuity of care.
*4. Everyone is their own person from the moment of birth
and has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.*
No one is allowed to humiliate, verbally abuse, speak about or touch you or your newborn in a degrading or disrespectful manner. You and your newborn baby must be cared for with respect and compassion.
*5. Everyone has the right to equality, freedom from discrimination and equitable care.*
No one is allowed to discriminate against you or your newborn because of something they think or do not like about either one of you. Equality requires that pregnant women have the same protections under the law as they would when they are not pregnant, including the right to make decisions about what happens to their body.
*6. Everyone has the right to healthcare and to the highest
attainable level of health.*
No one may prevent you or your newborn from getting the healthcare needed or deny or withhold care from either one of you. You and your newborn are entitled to the highest quality care, provided in a timely manner, in a clean and safe environment, by providers who are trained in current best practices.
*7. Everyone has the right to liberty, autonomy, self-determination and freedom from arbitrary detention.*
No one is allowed to detain you or your newborn in a health- care facility, even if you cannot pay for services received.
*8. Every child has the right to be with their parents or
guardians.*
No one is allowed to separate you from your newborn without your consent. You and your newborn have the right to remain together at all times, even if your newborn is born small, premature or with medical conditions that require extra care.
*9. Every child has the right to an identity and nationality
from birth.*
No one is allowed to deny your newborn birth registration, even if they die shortly after birth, or deny the nationality your newborn is legally entitled to.
*10. Everyone has the right to adequate nutrition and
clean water.*
No one is allowed to prevent you and your newborn from hav- ing adequate nutrition, clean water or a healthy environment. You have the right to information and support on child nutrition and the advantages of breastfeeding.
Pregnant women around the world still face abuse and disrespect from their healthcare providers. This must end with us.
