Celebrating 30 Years of Sexual and Reproductive Rights: ICPD & Beijing
December 15, 2024Prevalence and Impact of Obstetric Violence in Europe
January 22, 2025If we search for “obstetric violence” in many photo repositories, whether Wiki Commons or commercial stock images, the term “obstetric violence” is not even recognized as such.
Obstetric violence, as a social and health phenomenon, poses a significant challenge in its graphic representation. The images used must not only inform and raise awareness, but also preserve the dignity of the persons affected, avoiding both sensationalism and revictimization. The purpose of this questionnaire is to gather information to develop a practical guide for the use of images, designed to be constantly evolving through a critical cross-sector analysis.
In this brief and simple selection of images that we are going to present you we can find two main types:
- Images depicting stereotypes that promote obstetric violence
- Images that seek to represent obstetric violence
Example of some of the reflections that we can consider when analyzing the images:
- How are contexts and structures represented? Does the image include elements that make visible the practices or systems that perpetuate obstetric violence?
- Is it inclusive and diverse? Is diversity in childbirth and childbearing experiences present?
- What impact can it generate? Does the image have the potential to raise awareness and promote change without falling into stereotypes or sensationalism?
This will be one of the first steps in the creation of a guide designed to inspire those working in communication campaigns, journalism, activism, associations and other fields to approach the use of photographs that represent obstetric violence from an ethical, respectful and committed perspective. The goal is that the selected images become tools for social transformation and not part of the problem that perpetuates or legitimizes this violence.
Far from being a closed document, this guide will have a practical spirit that will include reflective self-criticism as a fundamental element. Therefore, it will be an open document, conceived to provide practical tools and at the same time to be continuously improved and expanded.
Would you like to collaborate?
Questionnaire 1/2
Questionnaire 2/2
Don’t forget to click the “Submit” button on the form.
Don’t forget to click the “Submit” button on the form.
Some projects that may serve as food for thought:
Training proposal on gynecological-obstetric violence (OGV)
Description: The training proposal addresses gynecological-obstetric violence (OGV) from a rights, intersectional and gender perspective.
It is aimed at students of health, social and medical sciences of the Autonomous University of Barcelona and its affiliated schools, and will be held at the Vall d’Hebron Hospital (teaching and simulation classrooms).
In the Midst of Confusion
A practical research project that explores the adaptation of a dance piece conceived for the stage to the film format, analyzing the intermedial creation processes and power relations in dance for the screen.
Academia.edu Lisboa | Catarina Barata
Gallery of Obstetric Experiences
An art project that uses ethnography and visual narrative to address perceptions of obstetric violence. While not exclusively focused on photography, it explores how obstetric experiences can be represented and understood through different visual media.
- “The Gallery of Obstetric Experiences: addressing perceptions of obstetric violence through ethnography-based artistic experimentation” in Modos de Fazer, Modos de Ser. OpenEdition Books
Academia.edu Lisboa | Catarina Barata
Obstetric Violence in the Experiences of Afro-Brazilian Migrants in Portugal
A study that addresses obstetric violence and racism in the Portuguese context, based on data collected through interviews and participatory artistic creation, analyzing the perinatal experiences of Afro-Brazilian migrant women.
Academia.edu Lisboa | Catarina Barata
- “Mix of Races, Bad Uterus”: Obstetric Violence in the Experiences of Afro-Brazilian Migrants in Portugal in Societies. UL Repository
Voices Project – Dance Documentary on Obstetric Violence
Description: A documentary dance piece that addresses how obstetric violence affects millions of women, combining art and activism to raise awareness about this problem.
Vulnerable’ Exhibition
Description: A photographic exhibition that makes visible and denounces obstetric violence through portraits and testimonies of women who have suffered this type of violence.
Vulnerable: Silvia Marte
Invisible Violence
This project by photographer Sofia Aldinio is a mixed media work that addresses obstetric violence and abusive care during pregnancy and childbirth. Through photographs and personal narratives, it highlights procedures performed without the mother’s consent, verbal abuse and other invasive practices that affect mothers and babies.
Visura | Sofia Aldinio
Reclaiming Our Bodies: Systemic, Gynecological, and Obstetric Violence Towards Our Sexes in the Framework of Health.
This project by La Fille Renne, a non-binary photographer and co-director of Polysème Magazine, seeks to raise awareness about gynecological and obstetric violence against women, non-binary people and transgender men. Through photography, the project explores these experiences and promotes discussion about systemic violence in healthcare.
Analog Forever Magazine | La Fille Renne
Echoes of Birth: A Tapestry of Milk and Memory
This art project from India explores birth trauma and auditory hypersensitivity (hyperacusis) through photography, fabric and sound. The work seeks to translate sensory and traumatic experiences into visual and sensory representations, offering a unique perspective on the multifaceted impact of birth trauma.
Exposing the Silence Project
This photography project, started in 2015, is a platform for stories of women who have experienced birth trauma due to obstetric violence. It was co-founded by Spot of Serendipity Photography and Birth Monopoly, and seeks to give voice to the experiences of these women and raise awareness of the issue.
Do you know of any other interesting projects? In addition to the questionnaire, you can leave us your comments and opinions at the bottom of this page.