Obstetric violence

Breastfeeding Week and Trauma

07.August 2025. Marija L. Jankovic

Why are women who do not breastfeed condemned in Serbia?

As many as 95 percent of women enter a Serbian maternity hospital with the desire to breastfeed their child. How is it possible that only 22 percent actually succeed?

Obstetric violence

02.June 2025 Marija L. Jankovic

A small victory: Prohibited routine cutting during childbirth and sitting on the stomach

The Ministry of Health produced the first National Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth, which is intended for doctors and health workers involved in childbirth. It refers to the health care of women during pregnancy, natural childbirth and the use of ultrasound in pregnancy

Real women in maternity wards

18.April 2025 Marija L. Jankovic

Forced breastfeeding and intimate shaving - is this obstetric violence

Routine cutting of the perineum, intimate unhygienic shaving, forced breastfeeding and the Kristeler operation - all this is obstetric violence in Portugal. How is it in Serbia?

Birth at home

18.December 2024. Biljana Vasić

A woman's right to choose

"Like any other guerilla, this maternity unit was created as a response to mass oppression. Namely, a woman who gives birth in the local hospital conditions is exposed to double violence. One type of violence is cultural, and the other is the violence of medical technology," Prof. Dr. Vuk Stambolović

A real woman

14.December 2024. Bojan Bednar

Obstetric violence: Lucky to get out of the maternity ward alive

In Serbia, obstetric violence is not a separate criminal act. And it should be, say our interlocutors. Today, the Prosecutor's Office hardly deals with such cases

Obstetric violence

28.October 2024. B. B.

Indictment against a gynecologist accused of obstetric violence

An indictment was brought against a gynecologist from Sremska Mitrovica, accused of obstetric violence in the case of pregnant Marica Mihajlović, whose newborn baby died.

Obstetric violence

25.October 2024. B. B.

Gynecologist accused of obstetric violence removed from work

A gynecologist from Sremska Mitrovica, accused of obstetric violence in the case of pregnant Marica Mihajlović, whose newborn baby died, has been removed from work

Obstetric violence

17.September 2024. MJ

The newborn from Novi Sad went through hell: They didn't want to give birth to her until the morning, and she had a ruptured uterus

Aleksandra Vudrag from Novi Sad went to the Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics to schedule a caesarean section. And that's where hell begins for her. The number of accusations of obstetric violence, which the competent authorities turn a blind eye to, is increasing

Chronicle

16.September 2024. IN THE

New case of obstetric violence: Criminal complaint against a doctor from Prokuplje for the death of a baby

Continued series of accusations of obstetric violence. Parents from Prokuplje filed a criminal complaint against the staff on duty at the maternity ward of the General Hospital in Prokuplje due to the death of their baby.

Heroines of our time: Milica Đurđević Stamenkovski

31.July 2024 Jovana Gligorijevic

Minister for Fans and Global Agenda

We are headed by a woman who does not believe in obstetric violence, who supports restrictive laws on reproductive rights, and all this while the team around Donald Trump is preparing "Project 2025", which, among other things, should be completely abolished. the right to abortion and limit access to contraception

Obstetric violence

25.July 2024 IN THE

Death of a baby in Sremska Mitrovica: No indictment, no detention

Marica Mihajlović from Sremska Mitrovica announced in January 2024 that she experienced obstetric violence during childbirth, after which her baby died. The investigation against doctor MM has not yet been completed, so no indictment has been filed, and he has been released from custody

Obstetric violence

23.July 2024 MJ

Why does the minister for family care think that stories about obstetric violence are a conspiracy against childbirth in Serbia?

The Minister for Family Care and Demography, Milica Đurđević Stamenkovski, said that stories about obstetric violence and poor conditions in maternity wards are "part of the global agenda against childbirth in Serbia".

Obstetric violence

21.March 2024. SZ/Fonet

The report of the Ministry of Health on the death of a baby from Sremska Mitrovica is still a secret

The cause of death of the baby who died during childbirth in Sremska Mitrovica cannot yet be announced, because the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Sremska Mitrovica is conducting proceedings against the infamous doctor for his treatment of the woman in labor

A combination of circumstances or human error

01.March 2024. Southern news

New death of a woman in labor - old wounds of Serbian healthcare

The family of the deceased mother in labor from Leskovac demands the responsibility of the doctor and suspects that the complications that caused her death were caused by negligence and carelessness, as she had no health problems.

Sremska Mitrovica

14.February 2024. DW

The fight against obstetric violence: More and more public testimonies

After the tragic case of obstetric violence at the beginning of the year in Sremska Mitrovica, more and more women testify publicly every day about the violence of the medical staff, failure to provide adequate medical assistance and disrespect for female patients

Obstetric violence

06.February 2024. MS/RTS

Commissioner: We have poor communication with women in maternity wards

The commissioner for the protection of equality, Brankica Janković, says that there must be continuous education of doctors, that there must be clear procedures and protocols. "You don't need an escort to protect you from the system, but to support you," says Janković

Overview of the week

02.February 2024. Philip Schwarm

We and the Son of Man

How much does cutting off a third of Indian workers' wages really mean to Linglong? Who alone will benefit if Šapić forms the government in Belgrade? And what obstetric violence, teacher humiliation and EXPO 27 say about the government's priorities

Women often complain about negligent or violent behavior of staff during childbirth

Health care

02.February 2024. Sanja Zrnić

Childbirth in Serbia: In search of dignified treatment

Women in Serbia have been victims of obstetric violence in maternity hospitals for 50 years. Until today, not much has changed, except for the market, so in a private hospital, a woman giving birth pays several thousand euros so that no one yells at her. And that's not a guarantee either

"Vremena" file: Childbirth in Serbia

31.January 2024. Sanja Zrnić

Overpaid and unpleasant experience

Conditions in maternity hospitals in the countries of the region sound like science fiction for Serbian pregnant women - from pilates and relaxing in a bathtub with the scent of essential oils, the "golden hour" with the baby, to kebabs for lunch after giving birth. In our country, the issue of accompanying during childbirth has not yet been resolved in all maternity hospitals, and in addition, the fact that it is viewed mostly as a measure to prevent or mitigate obstetric violence speaks volumes.

Obstetric violence

31.January 2024. JG

The confession of Tina Plemić: Why one woman's life hung in the balance

In September 2020, Tina Plemić from Belgrade went to the private clinic "011 Medical Team" for a check-up after a caesarean section. She didn't suspect anything because it was the second pregnancy she was carrying

Society

23.January 2024. Žarka Radoja

Obstetric violence is a pressing problem in Serbia

"Women have become aware of their rights and what the patient-doctor relationship should look like," lawyer Jelena Stanković, one of the authors of the report on obstetric violence, told Vreme.

Maternity rights

20.January 2024. BG/FoNet/N1

Protector of Citizens: Report obstetric violence to us

The invitation is addressed to all women who during the last six months faced inadequate medical access during childbirth

Comment

19.January 2024. Jovana Gligorijevic

Birth in a slaughterhouse: Our pain, your shame

The root of the problem of violence in maternity hospitals lies in the fact that many obstetricians pride themselves on the fact that they do not treat diseases and that their patients are not sick. That is true, but it cannot justify yelling, insults, slaps and refusing to cooperate with a woman

Obstetric violence

19.January 2024. MS

"A maternity hospital, not a slaughterhouse": today's protest in front of the Ministry of Health

The "Maternity, not a slaughterhouse" protest will be held today at 16:30 p.m., in Nemanjina Street. Ana Ninković from "Women's Solidarity" told "Vreme" that it is crucial that the Ministry of Health does something, because it is obvious that only sharing experiences, private lawsuits and individual ways of fighting are not enough.

Health care

03.July 2023 Z.S.

Who are protected by bans in Serbian maternity hospitals?

The maternity hospital in Nis has forbidden women who give birth less than two months from using mobile phones in the preparation rooms, where some women spend hours and sometimes even days. After a stormy reaction from Nišlijka, this ban was lifted, but it is still forbidden to accompany the child during childbirth. The same ban applies in most state maternity hospitals in Serbia

Comment

27.April 2023 Jovana Gligorijevic

Broadcasting the birth on TikTok: Why no one yelled "Cut!"

On the TikTok profile of a nurse from GAK, the entire event is mentioned exclusively as "caesarean section". The focus is on the intervention, not the person. The woman is just a tool, something necessary for a caesarean section, in order to have something to cut