Last year, we asked women who had experienced obstetric violence to fill out a questionnaire on our website.
Within one month, over a thousand women reached out to us.
These are their stories.
Stories from the maternity ward:
Women who broke the silence
The cases reported to us happened in the past nearly 50 years.
„
I gave birth 24 years ago, and to this day, the memory evokes such fear, anger, sadness, and helplessness. Because of that experience, I never allowed myself to get pregnant again, and it remains one of the biggest traumas in my life. The feeling in the maternity ward was as if I was in prison or a concentration camp.
„
They managed to turn something that should be the most important moment for anyone in the world, not just a woman, into a trauma. They don’t see us as people there; we’re ‘annoying, whiny women.’ Unless ‘our’ doctor is on shift. Then we’re ‘darling,’ ‘dear,’ etc. I’m not a fragile or helpless person, but the fear, helplessness, and humiliation I felt are indescribable.
„
I felt guilt and shame, as if I wasn’t good enough. They prevented me from enjoying the moment. I wanted to forget it, suppress it. (...) I was also taught not to cause trouble for anyone because they were doing the most important thing in my life.
„
He left me with an open wound to cool down, and he was gone for 45 minutes. He came back angry from somewhere and told me my p***y wasn’t golden for them to keep calling him because of me. He was then stitching me up for 30 minutes, with no anesthesia! A cooled down wound! He stitched me up so badly that the midwife said even cows get better stitches! Two weeks after giving birth, I had to go back to remove the stitches and be stitched up again!
„
I’m 36 and have serious trauma from doctors and everything that goes with it. Whenever I go to the doctor, someone has to go with me because I still feel the same fear as I did then.
Obstetric violence includes physical and verbal abuse during pregnancy and immediately after childbirth, humiliation, forced or non-consensual medical procedures, violation of privacy and confidentiality, withholding informed consent and pain medications, refusing hospital admission, neglect during childbirth leading to life-threatening complications that could have been prevented, as well as holding mothers and babies in hospital due to their inability to pay medical fees.
The World Health Organization
Gynecologist and obstetrician Vladimir Vajs says that obstetric violence is not just one way of working or a specific medical procedure, but a whole series of events.
Inadequate communication, lack of time, a large number of births, high birth concentration in some maternity wards. You basically end up in a situation where you can’t treat the patient as an individual, but as a number – which is devastating.
Maja Milosavljević, a psychiatrist at the Institute for Mental Health, explains that obstetric violence can lead to postpartum depression.
Verbal abuse usually leads to milder forms of depression. In cases of physical or sexual violence, of course, it leads to more severe – moderately severe or severe forms of depression.
Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, Biljana Stanković, who has been dealing with this topic for years, says the reason we are talking about obstetric violence today is the development of modern medicine.
Medicine treats the body and the psyche as separate. Doctors are focused only on the physical processes during childbirth and neglect how women feel, even though this is closely connected to the outcome of the birth.
The majority of reports are negative experiences in maternity wards in Belgrade,
Novi Sad...
and Niš.
However, we’ve recorded reports of inhumane treatment from all over Serbia.
Nearly 97% of the women who reached out to us never reported what had happened to them.
„
I live in a small town where everyone knows each other, and I had to give birth to another child in the same maternity ward.
„
After seven years of trying, I finally gave birth to my child, so all I wanted was to go home and be with him.
„
I felt powerless and insignificant. I wasn’t sure if I had the strength to take on such a serious fight while caring for a newborn.
„
I wasn’t even aware of the level of violence I had experienced until years later when I became more informed, educated, and conscious of it.
According to the women who shared their experiences, the most common reasons for not reporting obstetric violence include not knowing how or to whom to report it, the desire to just go home and be with their baby, and a lack of trust in institutions.
Additionally, women cited trauma, fear, the belief that what happened to them was normal, or the idea that they wouldn’t be able to prove anything.
Assistant Professor Biljana Stanković says that there is a "code of silence" surrounding this topic. She vividly describes how this silence has been passed down among women.
My friends and relatives knew about this but didn’t tell me because they didn’t want to scare me. And so I can’t scare those who are yet to give birth.
However, increasing awareness of women’s rights and the ability to speak more freely about these issues online have gradually begun to break the silence.
2008.
After sharing her childbirth experience on the B92 blog, Branka Stamenković launched the website Majka Hrabrost (Mother Courage). The goal was to collect and document experiences from maternity wards across Serbia.
2024.
The topic resurfaced thanks to TV host Ana Mihajlovski. She says that at one point, through her Instagram profile, she managed to gather between 7,000 and 10,000 testimonies from women about obstetric violence.
Ana Mihajlovski, TV host
„
I think the moment has come when women have hit rock bottom with their experiences in maternity wards, and I just happened to be there at that time. Sharing a single Instagram story about hospital food led to an explosion I could never have imagined in my life. I think our society was simply ready, and everyone had had enough.
More than 50% of the reports received by CINS relate to verbal abuse.
Olivera Kontić Vučinić, from the Serbian Medical Society, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine, and a doctor at the University Clinical Center of Serbia (KBC Višegradska), says that communication is a common stumbling block. She explains this through a hypothetical scenario in which she, as a doctor, has to examine three women.
All three are in pain, and now one of them says, 'I can't take this anymore.' I could respond while examining another patient, saying, 'Please, you have to wait, I need to finish with her first, and then I will examine you.' Or, I could say, 'For heaven’s sake, can’t you see I’m examining someone?!' See? There is a huge difference. One is obstetric violence, and the other is a 'wonderful doctor who kindly asked me to wait and assured me she would give me special attention soon.'
Jasmina Mihnjak, a psychologist and midwife by training, says that while a doctor may raise their voice to bring a woman back to consciousness, there is no situation in which verbal abuse is acceptable.
No matter the circumstances, a doctor has no right to insult a woman, call her derogatory names, or tell her that she is to blame—because she isn’t, and she can’t be.
Ana-Marija Štulić
„
At one point, the on-duty doctor rushed in and started yelling at me: 'You're going to kill your baby! What are you doing?! Push! Why are you crying?!' (...) I tried to forget half of what was said, all of the insults, but the one that stuck with me the most was when she told me that I was a terrible mother. She said that if she were acting that way toward her unborn child, she would kill herself. She told me I was going to kill my baby and that it would be my fault.
Ana-Marija is just one of many women who reached out with similar stories.
Their testimonies highlight inappropriate communication from doctors and nurses.
„
I was barely 18 years old. When I lost my baby and went to the hospital for a check-up, the doctor started yelling at me: 'Why are you crying, you cow? Better to have a miscarriage than to give birth to a retard!'
„
When I said I was in pain, the doctor responded, 'You weren’t in pain when you were being fuck*d, were you?'
„
The on-duty doctor that day insulted me horribly, saying things like: 'You’re squealing like a pig,' 'You’re screaming like someone’s skinning you alive,' 'You’ll look like a freak tomorrow,' and 'A child giving birth to a child.'
„
Comments like 'You knew how to make a baby, so you’ll know how to give birth to one,' 'So young and already a mother?' 'You’d be better off chasing after boys,' 'You have no clue about motherhood,' and 'That poor kid.'
„
He insulted me by referring to me as a stupid girl who should shut up and let him do his job instead of bothering him with questions. I was shocked to hear most of what he said, while the entire operating room remained silent. Of course, I burst into tears—from fear, anxiety, and shame. I told him to stop insulting me because no one should have to endure his rude outbursts. I remember him saying, 'Go to sleep, you idiot, so I don’t have to listen to you.
Anja Mišić
„
The problem is that I never even wanted labor induction. No one asked me whether I wanted it or if there were any medical reasons for induction. They just hooked me up to the induction, and that was it—without informing me, without asking for my consent.
In addition to verbal abuse, women reported neglect during childbirth and receiving induction without prior information.
Dr. Vladimir Vajs says that whenever there is an invasive procedure like induction during childbirth, a medical professional must be present with the woman.
He also states that the conditions for performing induction are clearly defined.
However, there are individuals who abuse this and adjust it to suit themselves, their schedule, or something else.
Sonja Bila
„
No one informed me that I would receive labor induction; I didn’t even know it was going to happen—I thought they were just giving me some IV fluids. (...) I was alone in the delivery room, literally screaming from pain. I was shouting ‘Help, help,’ which seems funny to me now, but it was horrible. A midwife came in – someone who couldn’t even deliver a baby – and treated me terribly. At one point, she threw a towel at me as if I were a table and not a human being, and said, ‘If you don’t want to give birth, then I’m leaving,’ and she left me alone again.
One in three women who reached out to us was denied pain relief.
„
I had a dilation and curettage procedure at six weeks of pregnancy. Without the use anesthesia or any prior preparation. They told me it wouldn’t hurt.
It hurt immensely.
„
My cervix tore in two places; I was cut in two places.
They stitched me up with no anesthesia.
„
The intensity of the labor induction made the pain unbearable. Stitches inside and out with no anesthesia. Then a post-birth examination without any pain relief.
„
I underwent an episiotomy without warning or consent, receiving stitches without any anesthesia. Getting pain relief in any form was unimaginable. When I asked how big my wound was so I could know how long I would endure the stabbing pain from the needle, they told me, ‘You got nothing more than what was necessary.’
Isidora Injac
„
The doctor examined me and told me to go home and come back at 10 a.m.—this was around 4 a.m.—for the procedure, a so-called dilation and curettage. (...) They admitted me, did some routine preparations (...) and then told me to lie down on a table in the same examination room. They strapped me down with belts and told me to be quiet, that I wasn’t the first or the last. At that moment, I didn’t even know what my rights were (...) in that state of shock, it never even crossed my mind to think that I might be entitled to some form of anesthesia (...) nor was it offered to me, nor did anyone ask me about it.
One in three women reported a violation of privacy, while one in four reported physical abuse.
„
At one point, there were 12 people in the room. They were surprised how it was possible for such a large baby to be born without a C-section or epidural. I was nowhere near privacy.
„
The nurse didn’t take me to the shower; instead, she stripped me naked in the middle of the room and hallway and wiped me with a sheet and alcohol.
„
I was only one centimeter open, and everyone was attempting to dilate me by pushing their hand in as far as possible. (...) I have trauma from gynecological check-ups, as well as sexual dysfunction.
„
During labor, when I screamed in intense pain, the gynecologist slapped me and said, ‘You can have sex with your husband, but you can’t take the pain.’
Milena Brzaković Lazić
„
I walked in, and the first thing I remember: the windows were wide open, and a man was walking outside in the park since the room was on the ground floor. They told me, "Take your clothes off here." I looked at the man, the man was looking at me. Alright, so I should undress in front of this man. I took my clothes off and sat on the table, waiting for the doctor to arrive. I saw people walking in and out of her office—everyone passing through—I was sitting there naked on that table, fully exposed. That lasted for about five minutes. It was uncomfortable, but that turned out to be the least of my problems.
Dr. Olivera Kontić Vučinić says that patient autonomy must be balanced with professional judgment and ethical standards to ensure that patients are treated with respect and responsibility.
She believes that the term "obstetric violence" is offensive and that not all doctors and midwives should be "lumped together."
Every mistake, every act of violence has a name and surname. That means there is no collective responsibility. There is a doctor who acted that way, or there is a midwife who acted that way. (…) And that name and surname should be said out loud, reported to the hospital director, to the patient ombudsman.
Out of the 1,155 women who reached out to us, 33 reported their experiences to the authorities.
These reports mostly led to no outcome, or at the time of reporting, the proceedings were still ongoing.
Only in one reported case was there a punishment for the perpetrator.
Four women who reported obstetric violence shared their stories with us. None of these complaints have resulted in any punishment so far. Documents analyzed by CINS journalists show that this is the rule rather than the exception. Read the whole story HERE.
Ana Mihajlovski handed over part of the complaints she received to Brankica Janković, the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality.
However, there was little she could do with them, as most women did not want to pursue legal action but simply wanted to share their experiences.
Nevertheless, the Commissioner sent recommendations for measures to all gynecological-obstetric clinics and the Ministry of Health.
Dr. Kontić Vučinić believes that the public discussion on this topic has raised some awareness.
I think this has made us a bit more aware that we, too, need to change and adapt.
Things can be different, as demonstrated by the example of the General Hospital in Pančevo, which, in 2016, received an award from the “Bebac” portal as the best in the category of medium-sized maternity wards, based on women's childbirth experiences.
Dr. Vladimir Vajs, who was previously the head of this hospital, believes the system should focus on small maternity wards to reduce the burden on large ones and prevent women from being treated like they are on an assembly line.
A smaller maternity ward signifies your commitment to someone.
Dr. Kontić Vučinić believes that the state should provide conditions, personnel, resources, and technology, while the medical profession should work on better communication with patients.
She adds that the system should provide education for pregnant women after the 24th week of pregnancy.
So when the woman arrives at the maternity ward, she is already prepared, she knows what might happen and what to expect.
The Narodni Front hospital in Belgrade and the Betanija maternity ward in Novi Sad declined interviews with CINS’s journalists.
CINS’s journalists spent over six months analyzing reports of obstetric violence and speaking with some of the women and other relevant stakeholders.
Through a questionnaire—compiled with the help of Sanja Radivojević from the Belgrade Center for Human Rights (BCLJP) and Vanja Macanović from the Autonomous Women's Center (AŽC)—we received nearly 1,200 reports. Some of them were excluded from the final analysis because they involved cases in neighboring countries or inhumane treatment in hospitals where the women were not pregnant, which does not fall under obstetric violence.
CINS will continue to cover this topic.
Journalists: Dina Đorđević, Teodora Ćurčić
Editor: Vladimir Kostić
Illustrations and photographs: Zoran Miodrag, Media Center Belgrade, “Bebac” portal, Instagram/Ana Mihajlovski, Leonardo.ai, Envato, Private archives (Vladimir Vajs, Jasmina Mihnjak, Maja Milosavljević)
Infographics and website desig: Teodora Ćurčić, Zoran Miodrag, Vladimir Kostić
Production: Centar za istraživačko novinarstvo Srbije (CINS)
February 2025.
Related
Waiting for Justice: A System That Has Failed Women
Four women who reported obstetric violence shared their stories with us. None of these complaints have resulted in any punishment so far. Documents analyzed by CINS journalists show that this is the rule rather than the exception.
Built with Shorthand