No shame, no stigma, only support

25 November, 2024

3 minutes read

As midwives and MSWs, we spend our working lives supporting the women in our care. Not only that, but most of the people we work alongside are also women. Think about all those women – hundreds, probably thousands of them – that cross our paths. And now consider that the recent crime survey for England and Wales recorded 1.4 million female victims of domestic abuse crimes in the year ending March 2024, while in Scotland recording of incidents of domestic abuse in 2023-24 saw an increase of 3% to 63,867.

We are seeing an almost epidemic of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the UK, to the extent that the police chiefs have asked the Government to classify VAWG as an act of terrorism. While the statistics trending upward could be an effect of greater reporting, the fact is that women and girls are experiencing harm on a daily basis. Violence against women, particularly intimate partner violence has an impact on children too, who are likely to suffer behavioural or emotional disturbance and either becoming perpetrators or may experience violence themselves in later life.

Why are we talking about this now? Well, today (25 November) is the start of 16 Days of Activism, a global campaign to highlight the impact of VAWG, ending on UN Human Rights Day (10 December). This is an opportunity to promote the safety and rights of women and protect them from this pandemic of abuse and assault, from the misogyny and harassment, particularly faced by women in the public eye, through to the physical and sexual violence perpetrated not just by strangers, but more often by a man known to the victim.

As midwives, we support women at their most vulnerable, and we know that previous experience of abuse or violence may impact on how they engage with care – and the way in which we support them. During the 16 Days, the RCM will be providing resources and information on VAWG , including the i-learn module on domestic abuse with the overall aim of helping midwives identify and support women experiencing abuse and violence. Pregnancy presents a heightened risk of abuse for women. Midwives have unique insights into the lives of women and are well-placed to identify, support, and refer women as appropriate to services. The midwife’s action does not stop with listening and supporting victims, or documenting the abuse, but encouraging women to report the abuse with expert support is crucial. We need to be mindful that not all victims of domestic abuse want to report the abuse to the police. It takes seven attempts before victims have the courage to report abuse and violence against them. It is crucial that midwives document every interaction with victims and provide extra antenatal and postnatal support for them

Of course, midwives, MSWs and other maternity staff are not immune from domestic abuse. The RCM’s charity partner, Cavell, can provide support to members who have experienced, or continue to experience, abuse. This includes advice and financial grants to allow them to rebuild their lives when fleeing from abuse. There is no shame, there is no stigma. But there is a community ready, willing and able to support you.

Blog

Mission control: what do the PM’s new missions tell us about the direction of health?

By Stuart Bonar

3 minutes read

5 December, 2024

Media releases, News

RCM statement on barring women in Afghanistan from midwifery education

2 minutes read

4 December, 2024

Cookie options

Some of these cookies are necessary to make the site work. We’d also like to use optional cookies to help improve your experience on the site. You can manage your optional cookie preferences below. Using this tool will set a cookie on your device to remember your preferences. Your preferences can be changed at any time.
For more detailed information about the cookies we use, see our Privacy Policy

Necessary Cookies

Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.

Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used to collect and report information on how our website is used. This helps us to improve the website based on the needs and behaviour of our visitors.

Marketing Cookies

We use marketing cookies to help us improve the relevancy of advertising campaigns you receive.

This site uses cookies to store information on your computer

Royal College of Midwives uses cookies for website functionality purposes. For more information, please review our privacy notice or review the settings tab.