Obstetric violence and human development: knowledge, power and agency in Colombian women’s birth stories

Autores

  • Laura Tolton La Trobe University
  • Marcos Claudio Signorelli Federal University of Paraná

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5380/guaju.v4i2.57866

Palavras-chave:

Obstetric violence, human development, birth, violence against women

Resumo

Obstetric violence was first described in Latin America, consisting of violence perpetrated mainly by health workers against women during pregnancy, birth or postpartum. It affects women worldwide and represents a challenge for human development, as it negatively affects women’s health and rights. This study reflects on the experiences of obstetric violence of a group of Colombian women, bringing visibility to their experiences and analyzing the language they use as a way to understand the issues underpinning these narratives. We adopted qualitative research with in-depth interviews and analyzed the narratives using discourse analysis. This research highlighted: 1) the women’s point of view; despite not being aware of the term “obstetric violence,” their experiences fit into this category that is often naturalized; 2) a hierarchy of knowledge with the biomedical model as authoritative, in which health professionals do not give adequate weight to women’s experiences or knowledge; 3) the relations between obstetric violence and human development, considering women’s (dis)empowerment and the limitations that these abuses imply for women’s freedom and agency.

Biografia do Autor

Laura Tolton, La Trobe University

Department of Languages and Linguistics/Institute of Latin American Studies - La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia

Grupo Colombiano de Análisis del Discurso Mediático
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Bogotá
COLOMBIA

Marcos Claudio Signorelli, Federal University of Paraná

Department of Collective Health

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Publicado

2018-12-18

Como Citar

Tolton, L., & Signorelli, M. C. (2018). Obstetric violence and human development: knowledge, power and agency in Colombian women’s birth stories. Guaju: Revista Brasileira De Desenvolvimento Territorial Sustentável , 4(2), 164–186. https://doi.org/10.5380/guaju.v4i2.57866

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Artigos