Every year, the Seventh-day Adventist Church promotes the Basta de Silencio (“Enough Silence”) campaign to help in the prevention of and fight against various types of addictions and abuses. This year, the theme of violence in motherhood was chosen to mark the campaign's actions, which took place on August 26, 2023, in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay and will extend throughout the year.

As part of the project's activities, free fairs and talks will be held in churches, schools, and auditoriums and open to the community. Information on the subject will be shared, and material will be distributed, which provides guidance from specialists on obstetric violence, family planning, the management of emotions during pregnancy and motherhood, self-care and self-esteem of the mother, the importance of a support network, and sharing responsibilities between parents in the care of the baby, among other issues, with the aim of helping to identify, prevent, and overcome abuses against women during pregnancy and childbirth.

Among the campaign materials is a magazine published in three versions: for adults, adolescents, and children—addressing the subject with simple, didactic language for different ages. This content is also available in digital format on the campaign's official website: bastadesilencio.org. Other materials and all the information about the project are also available there.

About the Topic

The arrival of a child is a unique, long-awaited moment for most couples, but sometimes, this moment is overshadowed by various types of abuse towards women that occur during gestation, childbirth, and postpartum. On the other hand, an unwanted pregnancy resulting from an abusive relationship and/or without a support network is also a disastrous scenario, with long-term negative repercussions on the lives of the mother and the baby.

During pregnancy and childbirth, obstetric violence is a traumatizing scenario that is unfortunately more common than it seems. The term refers to the abuses practiced by a few health professionals when caring for women in the different stages of pregnancy and the first months of motherhood. Inhumane service that may involve physical, psychological, or sexual violence, or even the adoption of unnecessary procedures without the patient's consent, may hurt her autonomy, generate unnecessary suffering, and result in serious psychological and even physical consequences. These types of practices are not performed by all doctors or nurses; rather, only in some specific cases. And that is why it is important to know how to identify when it is a real problem of violence in order to turn to another of the many professionals who do practice with love and responsibility.

Already in the postpartum period, the lack of support from the partner for the care of the newborn, including household chores, and even harsh comments about the mother’s physical condition or how to take care of the baby, generate serious emotional problems that can lead to the dreaded phenomenon of postpartum depression. This condition affects almost half of all mothers.

In addition to these cases, there is the physical violence and many other forms of mistreatment that many women face during pregnancy from their partners. The 2023 Basta de Silencio campaign focuses on many of these issues to provide knowledge to help prevent and fight against violence in motherhood.

The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Spanish-language news site.