“Part of racism continues for black women and girls in the United States, many of whom are children of victims of slavery,” Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), said in a press release.
“Many times, Afrodescendent women and girls are abused and exploited, their needs are not prioritized, and their families are broken by the preventable death of a loved one during childbirth. Justice and equality will only be possible when our health systems see these women and provide them with respectful, compassionate care. “
From abuse to denial of care
According to UNFPA, the harassment faced by Afrodescendent women when receiving health care ranges from verbal and physical abuse to denial of quality care and denial of pain relief.
As a result, they face increased complications during pregnancy and delayed interventions, which often lead to death.
These findings are contained in the report Maternal Health of African Women and Girls in the United States, which was developed in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization, the National Birth Equity Collaborative, and the UN organizations UNICEF and UN-Women.
The report also notes that Afrodescendants experience disproportionate levels of inequality in health systems, some of which are based on unscientific, racist and time-worn beliefs that are still present in medical training practices.
The ‘most’ difference is in the US
According to the report, the disparity is greatest in the United States, where black women and girls are three times more likely to die during childbirth or within six weeks of giving birth compared to non-Afrodescendent and non-Hispanic women. .
Maternal deaths persist regardless of income and education levels, with maternal deaths among African American college graduates still 1.6 times higher than among white women with less education. high school education.
In the wider United States, where there are an estimated 209 million people of African descent, only 11 of the 35 countries collect maternal health data broken down by race.
A call to confront racism
To address the situation and save lives, UNFPA urges governments to collect and analyze robust health data broken down by race and ethnicity.
He also called on medical schools to address racist rhetoric in teaching textbooks and called on hospitals to establish policies to end the physical and verbal abuse that harms Afrodescendent women and girls.
