Physical, verbal humiliation, abuse, or coercion during childbirth by medical personnel. This is how obstetric violence is usually interpreted in the media. If the data on the number of births are known, no one documents the cases of violence during them. The fact that they do exist can only be learned from the confessions of the women themselves. Some situations acquire significant resonance. For example, it happened in the multidisciplinary hospital of Volochysk in Khmelnytskyi region, where during childbirth the staff applied, in particular, the Kristeller maneuver  (squeezing pressure to facilitate childbirth).

According to the head of the public organization “Happy Motherhood”, midwife by education Viktoria Potichko, this method is dangerous and therefore prohibited in world practice. Instead, doctors can use vacuum extraction of the fetus. It is indicated for the weakness of labor that cannot be corrected with medication.

 All unjustified interventions in childbirth can be considered obstetric violence. In particular, the practice of dissection of the amniotic sac, which is common in Ukrainian medical facilities. It is used to speed up childbirth. As Victoria Potichko explains, in this case, the woman’s body may not be ready for the birth of a baby. In addition, doctors must warn about each medical manipulation.

Obstetric violence can affect women’s physical and mental health. According to psychotherapist Svitlana Rula, in the conditions of war, personal trauma can deepen due to general difficult circumstances. The violence is due to the burnout of the medical staff. Balint groups can be created to work with this problem, where doctors could discuss difficult situations, listen to the stories of their colleagues, and understand themselves better.