Obstetric Violence

Women giving birth in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia are often subjected to obstetric procedures that are not recommended by current medical guidelines, or that should only be used in exceptional cases, rather than as routine practice. Such procedures include episiotomy (a surgical incision from the vagina towards the anus), labour induction (artificial stimulation of labour) and the Kristeller manoeuvre (applying pressure to the mother’s abdomen to force the baby out). These practices are still widely used in these countries without proper care. These practices often occur without adequate information or consent, resulting in lasting physical and psychological consequences for many women.

This investigation examines statistical data on the prevalence of these procedures and investigates the actions — or inaction — of the government, non-governmental and healthcare sectors to bring gynaecology and obstetrics up to date and align them with modern medical standards.

On the right:& Image generated by Chat GPT/AI