When Care Harms: Obstetric Violence as Institutional Trauma in Peru.

Authors

Olenka Retiz, Eimy Fernández

Published in

Birth (Berkeley, Calif.). Oct 14, 2026. Epub Oct 14, 2026.

Abstract

Childbirth in health facilities now covers the large majority of births in Peru, and the conditions of institutional care shape the experience of almost every woman who gives birth. We argue that obstetric violence should be understood as a form of institutional production of psychological trauma, which quality-of-care frameworks do not capture. Accountability for mistreatment in childbirth is weak across health systems for reasons that extend beyond the legal status of the conduct, and Peru illustrates these limits: obstetric violence is named in sectoral technical standards but has not been legislated on, and the standards that prohibit specific practices attach no sanction to non-compliance. Drawing on this analysis and on evidence linking obstetric violence to perinatal posttraumatic stress and postnatal depression, we propose that such harm be recognized as iatrogenic. We outline implications for trauma-informed care, for informed consent as a clinical process, and for the systematic monitoring of women's experiences.

PMID:
42870738
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 14 Oct 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.