The last few weeks have seen the release of two crucially important reports on the maternity experiences of Black women from two campaigning groups. Find out more.
At the end of May, Birthrights released their Systemic Racism, Not Broken Bodies report, which highlighted the different ways that systemic racism manifests.
Their inquiry into racial injustice heard testimony from women and healthcare professionals who talked about how systemic racism can have a devastating impact on basic maternal rights when a baby is born.
There is a personal story behind each one of the statistics and the report reinforced how we must listen, learn and drive change to root out racism and discrimination in maternity services.
The same week, grassroots campaigning organisation Five X More released The Black Maternity Experiences Survey. We were saddened by the findings that Black women haven’t been listened to or given the care they are entitled to during and after one of the most important moments of their lives.
Our CEO, Angela McConville, said: “This is an incredibly significant report in gathering experiences and giving voice to people who have been silenced for so long. The experiences of Black women must be listened to, understood and worked with to take action to address racial bias in our maternity services.
“This report makes meaningful recommendations for positive change. Increasing knowledge on identifying and diagnosing conditions that are specific to, and which disproportionately affect Black women, and an improved system to submit feedback and complaints are crucial.”
You can find out more about the important work Five X More does, and download the report, on their website.
Birthrights is a charity championing respectful care during pregnancy and childbirth. Read more about them.
