Too often, treating women with respect is seen as a luxury. It is not. Violations of human rights during childbirth are all too common in labor wards, hurting women’s chances of surviving pregnancy and childbirth. This episode of White Ribbon Alliance’s Brave Voices, Bold Actions podcast explores Article 1 of the Respectful Maternity Care Charter, and the human right to give birth free from harm and ill treatment – one component of the top request from the What Women Want campaign: respectful, dignified care.

We hear from Sabina Jankovičová, who bravely shares her birth story and the damage caused by the disrespectful treatment she received at the hands of her healthcare providers, and Kate Gilmore, former UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, who helps examine how violations of women’s rights in childbirth are part of the continuum of violence that women and girls experience throughout their lifetimes. Together, we have the power to destroy the structures that harm women during pregnancy and childbirth!

Learn more at www.whiteribbonalliance.org/bravevoicespodcast.