Campaign #MyRightToKnow informs hundreds of women in Serbia on their rights in the procedure of induced abortion

Civil society organization Belgrade Center for Human Rights, as part of the Campaign #myrighttoknow Caravan, visited six cities in Serbia from mid-September to mid-October 2023 to educate and raise awareness of women about their rights as patients during their stay in obstetrics and gynecology clinics. In the framework of EU funded project “Support to Priority Actions for Gender Equality in Serbia II”, UN Women Serbia supported the campaign, as well as the Research: Attitudes and public opinion on the implementation of induced abortion procedures in health institutions, which preceded the campaign.

The #myrighttoknow caravan traveled three thousand kilometers, visiting cities Kragujevac, Niš, Novi Sad, Užice, Belgrade and Šabac, where representatives of BCHR directly spoke with hundreds of women with the aim to educate them and raise awareness of the rights they have in obstetrics and gynecology clinics. Almost a thousand leaflets were distributed with information on the rights of patients during their stay in obstetrics and gynecology clinics and available legal protection mechanisms in case of violation of their rights.

The story of inhumane treatment in maternity hospitals in Serbia was started by Milica Filipović from Šabac at the beginning of last year, who publicly shared her traumatic experience during the procedure of the induced abortion at one of the obstetrics and gynecology clinics in Belgrade. After that, numerous women in Serbia testified that they were exposed to similar or the same inhumane treatment in several health institutions throughout Serbia, during the previous decades.

Sanja Radivojević from BCHR says the campaign focused on the topic of induced abortions, as a tribute to the courageous act of Milica Filipović, and then also the thousands of women who supported her and testified about their "unbelievable" experience.

“We realized that we have to convey the message to women to stand up for themselves, even when they are vulnerable. Maybe then is the right moment for them to protect their rights. It is very important to emphasize that this is not a campaign against healthcare workers, it is the mean of empowerment of female patients and reminder for the doctors to remember their obligations”, says  Radivojevic.

Last summer, by publishing a short video, the center wanted to bring the public closer to the trauma and suffering experienced by women who were exposed to inhumane treatment during the induction abortion procedure.

Besides that, BHCR conducted the research that included interviews with 30 women from different parts of Serbia who had the experience of induced abortion, while 165 women filled out the online survey. According to the respondents, they did not know what they should do, where they should go, what is expected of them, what examinations and procedures look like and what their rights are. Most of the women went through the procedure of induced abortion on their own - during the expulsion of the fetus, the assistance of health workers was absent. In some cases, abortions took place in the hospital room in the immediate presence of other patients, in the toilet or in the corridor. Also, a significant number of female patients were exposed to disparagement by health workers, who called them derogatory names, insulted or shouted at them.

The women who participated in this research stated that they knew three other women who had this traumatic experience on average, which speaks of a large number of them who, due to the sensitivity of the topic, are not yet ready or empowered enough to talk about it.

Nevena Marceta, project officer from UN Women Serbia says that this campaign is of great importance since it tackles very sensitive topic which is obviously common experience of numerous women in Serbia.

“In this way we encouraged women to stand up for their rights as patients in this extremely vulnerable situation. Every woman must receive adequate health care and support, no matter the circumstances. This type of experience can cause great traumatic consequences to women’s mental and physical health, so prevention of this type of situation is crucial”, says Marceta.

Belgrade Center for Human Rights will continue its support activities and empowerment of women who have gone through inhumane treatment in gynecological-obstetrical clinics in Serbia. The analysis with the conclusions of the research on the implementation of this procedure in Serbia, followed by recommendations for the improvement of practice in this area, will be presented at the end of November 2023.