IPOV participates in a Latin American dialogue on sexual and reproductive rights

On 20 August 2026, the webinar “Midwifery in Latin America: Current Challenges in Sexual and Reproductive Rights” was held within the framework of the Cooperation Agreement between the National University of Entre Ríos (UNER) and the Universidad Mayor of Chile.

The event brought together experiences and perspectives from Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, creating a space for dialogue, reflection and exchange on the main challenges currently affecting the full guarantee of sexual and reproductive rights in Latin America.

Throughout the session, participants explored the specific characteristics of each national context in relation to professional training and healthcare provision, while also encouraging critical reflection on the role of healthcare professionals in developing models of care that are comprehensive, equitable, respectful and free from violence. The exchange provided an opportunity to share different experiences and approaches and to identify common challenges in effectively protecting the rights of women and pregnant people.

Representing Argentina, Carina Leiva and Ema Schuler delivered the presentation “Obstetric Violence: A Debt Owed by Midwives to Sexual and Reproductive Rights.” In this context, they introduced the IPOV – RESPECTFUL CARE project, its foundations and the lines of work being developed to contribute to the research, visibility and prevention of obstetric violence, as well as to the promotion of rights-based respectful maternal and perinatal care.

IPOV’s participation in initiatives of this kind helps connect the work carried out within the project with the professional, academic and social debates taking place across different countries. IPOV – RESPECTFUL CARE is an international project funded under the Horizon Europe – Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Staff Exchanges (MSCA-SE) programme, bringing together academic institutions, healthcare organisations and other organisations from several countries in Europe and Latin America. Through research, knowledge exchange, training and international cooperation, the project seeks to deepen understanding of obstetric violence and to support the development and dissemination of respectful, equitable and rights-based care practices.

These spaces for international cooperation strengthen knowledge exchange and the collective development of strategies, fostering dialogue across different contexts and disciplines and contributing to progress towards healthcare that fully guarantees the sexual and reproductive rights of women and pregnant people.