Every society must create an encouraging and safe environment for women and ensure the highest standards and humane treatment during pregnancy and childbirth. This is not only a matter of health and quality of life but also a fundamental issue of gender equality. In the entire region, there are cases of inadequate or inhumane treatment of women during pregnancy and childbirth, so it is the responsibility of system institutions and healthcare workers, as well as all of us as individuals, to systematically eradicate this problem, said the Commissioner for Equality Protection, Brankica Janković, while participating in a regional conference in Podgorica titled “Gender Aspect of Medical Ethics: The Case of Obstetric Violence.”

Janković noted that in recent years, more women are choosing to speak out about degrading treatment during pregnancy and childbirth. She reminded that the Commissioner’s institution has been emphasizing in recent years that every case of rights violation must be taken seriously, as no woman should endure any form of verbal or physical violence and be placed in a position unworthy of a human being during this very emotional and intense period of life.

After numerous appeals from citizens last year, we also sent recommendations to all gynecological-obstetric clinics and the Ministry of Health, stating that, in addition to adequate space conditions, constant education of medical staff, from reception workers to doctors and midwives, is necessary—not only from the healthcare perspective but also from the perspective of realizing all human rights. Encouraging feedback from women regarding improved treatment in many clinics was noted, said Janković.

The Commissioner added that civil society organizations, such as the Belgrade Center for Human Rights, Legal Scanner, and influential individuals, have intensively pointed to this problem, thanks to which the topic gained significant media attention, as well as the UNFPA research “Women’s Experiences in Maternity Wards in Serbia During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

At the conference organized by SPES, research on obstetric violence in Montenegro was presented. The opening speeches were given by the head of the Gender Equality Department at the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights, Biljana Pejović, the gender equality expert on behalf of SPES, Nada Drobnjak, and the state secretary in the Ministry of Health of Montenegro, Mirjana Vlahović Andrijašević. Experiences in reproductive rights, medical ethics, and the fight against gender-based violence in the healthcare system were shared by the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro, Siniša Bjeković, the Ombudswoman for Gender Equality of the Republic of Croatia, Višnja Ljubičić, the Director of the Gender Equality Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Samra Filipović-Hadžiabdić, as well as specialists in gynecology and obstetrics and civil sector representatives.