South Africa: Childbirth Abuse is Rife. So Why Don’t We See It?

[Bhekisisa] In the past 10 years, an estimated 1.79-million women who gave birth in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng faced abuse during their deliveries, findings from a survey conducted by Social Surveys Africa, and commissioned by the DG Murray Trust and Embrace , show. It works out to 490 women being mistreated during labour every day. But only 34% knew that how they were treated was wrong — and just 7% reported it. What do the numbers say about what’s going on in public maternity care — and what can be