Women recount violence during childbirth in DR Congo hospitals

KINSHASA - Like many women in hospitals across the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sara suffered violence during childbirth. Two years on from the birth of her first child, she says she will never do it again.

Sara, 31, said she underwent an episiotomy, a surgical cut to the perineum, while giving birth, and the doctor at the hospital in the capital, Kinshasa, tried to stitch her without anaesthetic.

Another delivery would mean reliving a "traumatic experience", she added.

In the DRC, where more than 90 per cent of the population is Christian and traditional views on women and sexuality dominate, such stories are a taboo subject.

But in recent weeks, more people have spoken out after a video that went viral and stunned the nation.

Filmed in a delivery room of a public hospital in Kinshasa, the footage shows a naked young woman screaming just after giving birth.

Large patches of blood are visible on the hospital bed she jumps from.

A doctor strikes her with a metal instrument and tries to force her back down with her legs spread to continue treatment, which she clearly refuses.

Unable to control her, he starts to slap her.

Prime Minister Judith Suminwa denounced the violence as "totally unacceptable" while First Lady Denise Tshisekedi condemned the "abhorrent" acts and called for swift action.

In the DRC, maternal mortality stands at 427 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to the World Health Organisation, compared with just 11 per 100,000 in Europe.

The UN has described the situation as alarming, citing a lack of resources and trained staff among the main causes.

In a rare move in the country, the doctor seen in the video was tried and convicted.

During the trial, he admitted to hitting the patient, saying she suffered from post‑partum haemorrhage, but was preventing him from treating her.

He said he attempted to suture her without anaesthetic because the hospital had none available.

Kinshasa, DR Congo: Like many women in hospitals across the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sara suffered violence during childbirth. Two years on from the birth of her first child, she says she will never do it again.

Sara, 31, said she underwent an episiotomy, a surgical cut to the perineum, while giving birth, and the doctor at the hospital in the capital, Kinshasa, tried to stitch her without anaesthetic.

Another delivery would mean reliving a "traumatic experience", she added.

In the DRC, where more than 90 per cent of the population is Christian and traditional views on women and sexuality dominate, such stories are a taboo subject.

But in recent weeks, more people have spoken out after a video that went viral and stunned the nation.

Filmed in a delivery room of a public hospital in Kinshasa, the footage shows a naked young woman screaming just after giving birth.

Large patches of blood are visible on the hospital bed she jumps from.

A doctor strikes her with a metal instrument and tries to force her back down with her legs spread to continue treatment, which she clearly refuses.

Unable to control her, he starts to slap her.

Prime Minister Judith Suminwa denounced the violence as "totally unacceptable" while First Lady Denise Tshisekedi condemned the "abhorrent" acts and called for swift action.

In the DRC, maternal mortality stands at 427 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to the World Health Organisation, compared with just 11 per 100,000 in Europe.

The UN has described the situation as alarming, citing a lack of resources and trained staff among the main causes.

In a rare move in the country, the doctor seen in the video was tried and convicted.

During the trial, he admitted to hitting the patient, saying she suffered from post‑partum haemorrhage, but was preventing him from treating her.

He said he attempted to suture her without anaesthetic because the hospital had none available.

SAVING LIVES

"I did everything to save a life," the doctor told the court. He told judges he had asked a colleague to film the scene to "protect himself" in case the woman died.

Earlier this month, he was given a two-month suspended prison sentence for assault and for recording the video.

The Congolese state, which manages the public hospital, was ordered to pay $2,500 in damages.

For activists, the case exposed a deeper, systemic problem.

"Violence in delivery rooms has become normalised because doctors claim they are saving lives," said Anny Modi, head of women's rights group Afia Mama.

She said they receive at least one woman traumatised by childbirth every week.

According to Modi, obstetric violence is sometimes driven by moral judgment.

"A young unmarried woman faces violence that amounts to punishment for having sexual relations outside marriage," she said.

AFP spoke to several women who said they had suffered medical abuse, with one saying she fainted from the pain.

"After I gave birth, the doctor went to remove pieces of placenta by inserting his entire forearm into my uterus," said Rose, a mother of four.

"I asked if anaesthesia was possible, but they told me there was none."

Health Minister Samuel‑Roger Kamba told AFP that kits containing anaesthetics and medicines are regularly distributed to public hospitals treating pregnant women.

But he acknowledged that "verbal or physical violence in delivery rooms is an abuse we have noticed".

The president of the Congolese medical council, Berthier Nsadi, said the case had prompted reflection on improving the ongoing training for doctors and other healthcare staff, particularly midwives.

According to estimates from the country's main doctors' union, the DRC has one midwife for every 16,000 people, far from the WHO's recommendation of one for every 5,000.

"I did everything to save a life," the doctor told the court. He told judges he had asked a colleague to film the scene to "protect himself" in case the woman died.

Earlier this month, he was given a two-month suspended prison sentence for assault and for recording the video.

The Congolese state, which manages the public hospital, was ordered to pay $2,500 in damages.

For activists, the case exposed a deeper, systemic problem.

"Violence in delivery rooms has become normalised because doctors claim they are saving lives," said Anny Modi, head of women's rights group Afia Mama.

She said they receive at least one woman traumatised by childbirth every week.

According to Modi, obstetric violence is sometimes driven by moral judgment.

"A young unmarried woman faces violence that amounts to punishment for having sexual relations outside marriage," she said.

AFP spoke to several women who said they had suffered medical abuse, with one saying she fainted from the pain.

"After I gave birth, the doctor went to remove pieces of placenta by inserting his entire forearm into my uterus," said Rose, a mother of four.

"I asked if anaesthesia was possible, but they told me there was none."

Health Minister Samuel‑Roger Kamba told AFP that kits containing anaesthetics and medicines are regularly distributed to public hospitals treating pregnant women.

But he acknowledged that "verbal or physical violence in delivery rooms is an abuse we have noticed".

The president of the Congolese medical council, Berthier Nsadi, said the case had prompted reflection on improving the ongoing training for doctors and other healthcare staff, particularly midwives.

According to estimates from the country's main doctors' union, the DRC has one midwife for every 16,000 people, far from the WHO's recommendation of one for every 5,000.