Patrizia Quattrocchi takes part in a university event in Bari on obstetric violence and interdisciplinary dialogue

Professor Patrizia Quattrocchi, of the University of Udine and Scientific Coordinator of the European project IPOV – International Platform on Obstetric Violence & Respectful Care, took part on 15 April 2026 in a university event held at the University of Bari Aldo Moro, in the Aula Aldo Moro of Palazzo Del Prete, focused on obstetric violence. The activity appeared in the university programme Lezioni di Pace and was led by Angela Patrizia Tavani.

According to the information provided for this news item, this was the second time Patrizia Quattrocchi had been invited to address this topic in Bari. While the first invitation opened space to introduce the issue in that academic setting, this new occasion made it possible to deepen the discussion, broaden the exchange, and present part of the work currently being carried out within the IPOV project.

The meeting was framed within the third edition of “Prigionie d’Ombra”. According to the press coverage published after the event, this initiative was created to give visibility to forms of silent violence and to encourage public, academic, and social reflection on their causes, implications, and possible responses. In this edition, the session devoted to obstetric violence brought together perspectives from law, anthropology, and healthcare practice.

One of the most valuable aspects of Quattrocchi’s participation was the dialogue with local health professionals. The press article reports that, alongside her, the speakers included Ernesto Cicinelli, Professor of Gynaecology and Obstetrics at the University of Bari, and Antonella Pasculli, who approached the topic from a legal perspective. The discussion was further enriched by the contributions of healthcare professionals directly involved in clinical care, including Giuseppe Lovascio, Alessia Marconcini, Giorgio Di Modugno, and Maurizio Gnazzi.

Patrizia Quattrocchi’s presence also brought the perspective of a scholar whose work is closely linked to maternity care, childbirth, and obstetric violence from a comparative and interdisciplinary point of view. Her participation helped connect the local discussion in Bari with a broader international agenda focused on recognising, studying, and preventing forms of mistreatment that still remain insufficiently visible in many settings.

The event was also an opportunity to share part of the work being developed through IPOV – Respectful Care, a European project that promotes research, international cooperation, and awareness-raising tools on obstetric violence and respectful maternity care. In this sense, the participation in Bari contributed not only to the dissemination of the project, but also to strengthening links between university, research, and professional practice.

Taken together, the meeting held in Bari consolidated a valuable space for listening, exchange, and critical reflection on obstetric violence. The possibility of addressing this issue once again within a university setting, and of doing so in dialogue with professionals working in the field, reinforces the importance of continuing to build rigorous and sustained conversations that can help transform cultures of care and advance more respectful, rights-based approaches to pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period.