White Ribbon Research Articles

Reported respectful maternity care received during childbirth at health facilities: A cross sectional survey in Eastern province, Rwanda

BackgroundRespectful maternity care (RMC) fosters positive childbirth experiences and ensures safe motherhood. While past Rwandan studies on childbirth predominantly focused on negative experiences, our research delved into positive experiences. This study aimed to assess the RMC level experienced by women during childbirth in health facilities of Eastern Province of Rwanda. MethodologyWe conducted a cross-sectional survey on 610 mothers at their discharge across five public hospitals. We used a 15-items RMC questionnaire developed by White Ribbon Alliance, version of 2019. To manage the right-skewed data, we employed a median cut-off, categorizing experiences into binary outcome (low and high RMC score). We performed stepwise backward elimination logistic regression model to identify predictors of high RMC. FindingsThe majority (70.2%) reported experiencing RMC. The most acclaimed RMC items (over 90%) included allowance of food and fluid intake (98.5%), non-discrimination (96.2%), receipt of necessary services (96.1%), and privacy (91.3%). The chi-square analysis showed an association between reported high RMC and marital status (p-value = 0.006), occupation (p-value = 0.001), and mode of delivery (p-value = 0.001). Caesarean section delivery was associated with high RMC in multivariate logistic regression with a p-value of 0.001, the adjusted odds ratio was 2.11 with a CI [1.40–3.17]. ConclusionThe reported RMC items and care appreciated at high level should be sustained. Regardless of mode of delivery, all mothers should experience consistent, utmost respect throughout the childbirth and should receive RMC at maximum level.

Microplastics in the fresh waters of the coastal oasis of the East Antarctica (on an the example of the Thala Hills, Enderby Land)

The first data on the content of microplastic particles in freshwater reservoirs of the East Antarctica (by the example of the Thala Hills Oasis, Enderby Land) are presented. The studies were made during the 14th BAE in 2022/2023 with the selection and filtration of water from three lakes and one temporary reservoir. Filtration was carried out in two stages: in the field conditions through a plankton network to concentrate a sample and then in the laboratory through White Ribbon filters. Dried filters after delivery to Minsk were analyzed using a microscope, digital camera and consulting software. It was found that microplastic particles were present in all analyzed samples. Fibers dominated in all samples, amounting to 81 % of the total microplastic particles. The particle size, represented by fragments of irregularly shaped plastics, is less than 1 mm in 90 % of cases. The fiber size in 91 % of cases ranges from 1 to 5 mm with a maximum value of 16.4 mm. The importance of developing research and assessing the levels of microplastic pollution in Antarctic fresh water is shown with the consideration of seasonal changes in their condition, morphometric and other features.

The white ribbon: Mediating erosion and modulating overwash on a Lake Michigan Beach ridge plain

The erosion and protection of sandy coastal landscapes is happening across the globe and is prominent in the engineering, planning, conservation and design fields. Researchers and practitioners have identified a need for new approaches and forms that work with erosion instead of defending against it, and this paper is part of that effort. Situated on the western coast of Lake Michigan, our work offers insights into Great Lakes coastlands and sandy landscapes more broadly. Because the Great Lakes have widely varying water levels and are generally erosive over the course of decades, this region may also provide lessons for our marine coastlines. We combine physical and computational wave modelling with conventional means of landscape architectural work to develop a new form of coastal design and theorize that a landscape approach to the problem of erosion promises a reduction in control and better ecological, aesthetic and coastal protection outcomes over time.

Are respectful maternity care (RMC) interventions effective in reducing intrapartum mistreatment against adolescents? A systematic review.

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier: CRD42020183440.

Entries and exits of a culture of violence - “The white ribbon” and “The deserter”: two filmic-literary representations in the German-speaking world

Resumo: Dois filmes mostram os enormes desafios morais e políticos da memória na Alemanha da primeira metade do século XX, nos quais não só o indivíduo, mas também a sociedade como um todo foram expostos à capacidade de julgar com independência e humanidade. O primeiro filme é “The white ribbon” (Michael Haneke, 2009), que se passa no início da Primeira Guerra Mundial em 1914 e trata da humilhação e da violência, o segundo filme é “Der Überläufer” (Florian Gallenberger, 2020), baseado no romance homônimo de Siegfried Lenz, escrito em 1952, é sobre um jovem soldado alemão nos anos finais da Segunda Guerra Mundial, em 1944/45, que prestou serviços à Wehrmacht na Polônia e desertou. O primeiro filme descreve o colapso do julgamento independente, que favorece a ascensão posterior do nacional-socialismo, o segundo filme foca na recuperação do julgamento individual de consciência, depois o início de um julgamento público e democrático.

What refugee women want from maternity care: a qualitative study

Background/Aims For refugee women, pregnancy and early motherhood can exacerbate poor underlying health, poverty, and deprivation. Despite the wealth of research exploring the experiences of pregnant refugee women, maternity care providers remain unprepared for their unique needs. The aim of this study was to ask what refugee women require from maternity care, reduce adverse risks, and improve maternity care experiences Methods Secondary analysis of focus group data from refugee women as part of the ‘What women want’ White Ribbon Alliance campaign. Results Three key themes emerged: feeling safe in the maternity system and in their communities; fair and equal access and treatment in maternity care and the asylum system: building a future in the UK. Conclusions Midwives need additional training and education to understand the wider issues of the negative discourse around migration and being an asylum seeker and use this knowledge in practice when caring for women to help them feel safe.

Building social accountability to improve reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health in Nigeria

BackgroundLike many places in Nigeria, Niger, a predominantly rural and poor state in the north of the country, has high fertility, low contraceptive prevalence, and high maternal mortality. This paper presents a descriptive, contextualized case study of a social accountability campaign run by the nongovernmental organization White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria to strategically mobilize collective action to demand quality maternal health care and improve government responsiveness to those demands. We treat maternal health as a component of reproductive health, while recognizing it as a less contested area.MethodsData come from more than 40 interviews with relevant actors in Niger State in 2017 and 2018 during the initial phase of the campaign, and follow-up interviews with White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria staff in 2019 and 2021. Other data include White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria’s monthly reports. We analyzed these data both deductively and inductively using qualitative techniques.ResultsDuring its first phase, the campaign used advocacy techniques to convince the previously reticent state government to engage with citizens, and worked to amplify citizen voice by hosting community dialogues and town halls, training a cadre of citizen journalists, and shoring up ward health development committees. Many of these efforts were unsustainable, however, so during the campaign’s second phase, White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria worked to solidify state commitment to durable accountability structures intended to survive beyond the campaign’s involvement. Key challenges have included a nontransparent state budget release process and the continued need for significant support from White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria.ConclusionThese findings reveal the significant time and resource inputs associated with implementing a strategic social accountability campaign, important compromises around the terminology used to describe “accountability,” and the constraints on government responsiveness posed by unrealistic budgeting procedures. The campaign’s contributions towards increased social accountability for maternal health should, however, also benefit accountability for reproductive health, as informed and empowered woman are better prepared to demand health services in any sector.

Abusive maternal care and associated factors during childbirth in Northeast Ethiopia.

This study aimed to assess the abusive maternal care and associated factors during childbirth in North Wollo Hospitals, Northeast Ethiopia. The institutional-based cross-sectional study design was implemented with a sample size of 394. Stratified systematic random sampling was applied to select the study participants. The study population was women who gave birth in selected hospitals in the study period. Women with postpartum psychiatric problems and women who were referred for complications management after they gave birth in the other health institution were excluded. Data was collected by using a structured questionnaire adapted from the White Ribbon Alliance Declaration on on women's rights during childbirth. Data were entered by EPI- data version 3.1 and analyzed by SPSS version 23. The magnitude of abusive care among childbearing women was 47.1%. Women who attended their childbirth at general hospital (AOR =0.13, 95% CI: 0.06, 0.26), women who had no antenatal care (AOR =2.08, 95% CI: 1.27, 3.39), and women who had two birth attendants (AOR =0.56, 95% CI: 0.35, 0.92) were significant association with abusive maternal care. The level of abusive maternal care in health institutions is high as compared to national and international standards. Women who attended their childbirth at a general hospital, having antenatal care and the number of birth attendants were significant factors. Interventions should focus on increasing pregnant women's ANC follow-up. The health institutions also better increase the number of skilled birth attendants to address women's concerns during childbirth.

Respectful Maternity Care: Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of health care workers and maternal perception about respectful maternity care (RMC) - A Scoping Review

Background: Respectful maternity care is the fundamental right of the mother. RMC is recommended by the World Health Organization and refers to care that maintains dignity, privacy, confidentiality and ensures freedom from harm and mistreatment. It enables informed choice and continuous support during labour and childbirth [1]. It has been found that mothers perceived overall dimensions of RMC still some component such as disrespect and abuse is prevalent. Purpose: It has been shown in some study results that maternity care perceived lack respect and dignity and there is gap in knowledge and practice among health workers in implementing respectful maternity care. Therefore, A Scoping review is done to have an outline necessary for a researcher to properly understand the work to be done in dimension RMC. Methods: Various qualitative and quantitative studies are included in Scoping review evaluating the women perception regarding RMC and Health worker’s perspective about RMC. PubMed, Google scholar, Research gate, CINAHL and white ribbon respectful maternity care repository portal were used to find out studies already been done in this field of maternity care. Results: Seven studies were included in this Scoping review. These studies were conducted in Punjab, New Delhi, Nigeria, Ghana, Puducherry, Nepal and Iran. Two qualitative studies and rest of the studies were quantitative studies. The main focus of these studies was to assess the perception of women about RMC and Health worker’s perspective about RMC. Findings revealed that still Disrespect and Abuse is perceived by mothers in various forms namely physical abuse-slapping, hitting, pinching, Verbal abuse-shouting on women, passing bad comments, emotional abuse-lack of information, denying preferences and choice of birth position, lack of sensitivity towards client pain and culture, lack of privacy. Moreover, there was a gap of knowledge and practice about RMC among health workers. Conclusion: By reviewing the literature and databases it has been concluded that Majority of study results depicts that mothers admitted in hospitals reported harsh and annoying maternity care behaviour full of Disrespect and abuse and Health workers have moderate level of knowledge about RMC. So, There is a need of rigorous research to implement RMC interventions to fill the gap in knowledge and practice of RMC among Health workers so as to eventually improve the women perception about RMC.

Haneke avec Foucault: The White Ribbon, Religion, and Violence

This article utilizes Michel Foucault's characterization of the Christian pastorate to examine The White Ribbon (2009), directed by Michael Haneke. Foucault's framework assists us in inspecting the nature of the Protestant community depicted in the film, its systems of discipline, repression, and control, and the bond between these systems and the violence that erupts as the plot unfolds. Reading Haneke avec Foucault thus sheds light on the broader problem of "religious violence," while also drawing out the sometimes submerged but skillful interpretation of religion proposed by these two auteurs.

The white ribbon movement: high school students in the 2020 Thai youth protests

ABSTRACT This article discusses the motivations behind the involvement of high school students in the anti-government protests across Thailand in 2020. Drawing on 150 school and 150 university student interviews, focus groups, and observation of sixteen protests conducted around the country, it argues that protesting youths were motivated by grievances against repressive, authoritative and unaccountable conservative education systems and political institutions, particularly the monarchy.

Disrespect and abuse during facility‐based childbirth in central Ethiopia

ABSTRACT Background Respectful maternity care is a fundamental human right, and an important component of quality maternity care. Objective The aim of this study was to quantify the frequency and categories of D&A and identify factors associated with reporting D&A among women in north Showa zone of Ethiopia. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted with 435 randomly selected women who had given birth at public health facility within the previous 12 months in North Showa zone of Ethiopia. A digital (tablet-based) structured and researcher administered tool was used for data collection. Frequencies of D&A items organised around the Bowser and Hill categories of D&A and presented in the White Ribbon Alliance’s Universal Rights of Childbearing Women Framework were calculated. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify the association between experience of disrespect and abuse and interpersonal and structural factors at p-value <0.05 and odds ratio values with 95% confidence interval. Results All participants reported at least one form of disrespect and abuse during childbirth. Types of disrespect and abuse experienced by participants were physical abuse 435 (100%), non-consented care 423 (97.2%), non-confidential care 288 (66.2%), abandonment/neglect (34.7%), non-dignified care 126 (29%), discriminatory care 99 (22.8%) and detention 24 (5.5%). Hospital birth [AOR: 3.04, 95% CI: 1.75, 5.27], rural residence [AOR: 1.44, 95% CI: 0.76, 2.71], monthly household income less than 1,644 Birr (USD 57) [AOR: 2.26, 95% CI: 1.20, 4.26], being attended by female providers [AOR: 1.74, 95% CI: 1.06, 2.86] and midwifery nurses [AOR: 2.23, 95% CI: 1.13, 4.39] showed positive association with experience of disrespect and abuse. Conclusion Hospital birth showed consistent association with all forms of disrespect and abuse. Expanding the size and skill mix of professionals in the hospitals, sensitizing providers consequences of disrespect and abuse could promote dignified and respectful care.

Developing operational standards for Midwifery Centers

BackgroundMidwifery centres have been identified in over 56 countries. Consensus was reached on a global definition for midwifery centres, yet there is a lack of standards to assure consistent quality of care is provided. MethodsEvidence-based standards and guidelines developed from American Association of Birth Centres (USA), Midwifery Unity Network (UK/EU), World Health Organization, International Childbirth Initiative, and White Ribbon Alliance, were gathered, duplicate standards were removed, and language was adapted for global use with sensitivity to low and middle countries (LMIC). An initial list of 52 midwifery centre standards were identified. Through an informal modified Delphi process these were reviewed by global midwifery centres experts, researchers, and midwifery centre staff at focus groups in Haiti, Mexico and Bangladesh for significance, language, and usability. The standards were then piloted at midwifery centres in eight countries (Sierra Leone, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Mexico, Haiti, Peru, Uganda and Trinidad). All feedback was incorporated into the final standards. ResultsA final list of 43 standards, organized into 3 domains including quality standards for care providers, dignity standards for women, and community standards for administration, were agreed on. ConclusionMidwifery centres are prevalent around the globe. Identifying standards for quality of care provides a foundation for the midwifery centre model to be replicated and ensure consistent quality of care. Evidence based standards for midwifery centres in LMIC, allows systems to embrace and encourage the implementation and growth of midwifery centres to address accessible, acceptable, respectful, woman-centred, community-engaged maternal health care that participates fully in the health care system.

World Prematurity Day: improving survival and quality of life for millions of babies born preterm around the world

World Prematurity Day: improving survival and quality of life for millions of babies born preterm around the world

‘Dear Mrs Brown’: social purity, sex education and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union in early twentieth-century South Africa

ABSTRACT The South African Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) was a significant source of sex education for white youth in particular, and encouraged adults to equip their children with the information that would prepare them for marriage and parenthood. This article argues that while much of the WCTU’s interest in sex education was informed by eugenic anxieties about the health of the new Union of South Africa, the organization’s archive can also be read for evidence of mothers’ reasons for seeking sex education. It suggests there was a heightened demand for sex education in the 1910s–1930s that was driven, in part, by women’s desire to prepare their daughters for adulthood in a rapidly changing society. Analysis of the WCTU’s promotional periodical The White Ribbon (including the rhetoric used by its leadership) is complemented here by an examination of local branch committee minutes and by a quantitative and qualitative study of the educational materials that the organization distributed across South Africa.

What's Important: It's a Privilege.

What's Important: It's a Privilege.

STRESS, TRAUMA, PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND RESILIENCE OF WOMEN AS REFLECTED IN VARIOUS MOVIES AROUND THE WORLD

The aim of the study was to investigate the relationships between stressor due to restriction of women movement, traumatic events due to war, sexual abuse or domestic harassment and psychological symptoms, quality of life, and resilience. To explore the topic I analyzed samples consisted of 16 randomly selected subjects from sixteen various movies - Deliver Us From Evil, Forbidden Games, Metamorphosis, Monster, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Cemetery Club, Schindler’s List, The Cemetery Club, The Magdalene, The White Ribbon, Two Women, Taken, Empty Suitcase, Damini- Lightning, Dahan (Crossfire) and Ghajini.

Haneke, Moral Violence and Morbid Curiosity

This paper contrasts two forms of violence depicted in film: entertainment violence and moral violence. To a first approximation, moral violence is a form of interpersonal aggression aimed at causing moral injury. We claim that what distinguishes entertainment violence from moral violence is that entertainment violence is a satisfying or fitting object of morbid curiosity. Moral violence typically isn’t such a thing. We explore how moral violence works in two films of Michael Haneke: Funny Games (1997, 2007) and The White Ribbon (2009).

Focusing on respectful maternal care practices

Deferential maternity care alludes to think about and gave to all ladies in a way that keeps up their respect, protection and classification, guarantees opportunity from damage and abuse, and empowers educated decision and persistent help during work and childbirth. In any event, when administrations are accessible, care might be undermined by abuse during labor, including harsh, careless, or discourteous consideration. RMC can be characterized as a way to deal with care that accentuates the crucial privileges of ladies, babies, and families, and that elevates evenhanded access to prove based consideration while perceiving the interesting needs and inclinations of the two ladies and newborns. The White Ribbon Alliance has characterized seven spaces of RMC utilizing a rights based methodology; nonetheless, what establishes RMC operationally (as far as explicit practices', practices, or guidelines in research and program execution is regularly factor. As far as anyone is concerned, no endeavors have yet been made to utilize a proof based way to deal with figure out what comprises RMC during labor in wellbeing offices.

Gegen-Ermittlung. Anna Seghers’ Der Kopflohn und die Lesbarkeit des Faschismus

Abstract Der Kopflohn (1933), an early novel by Anna Seghers, has a unique status in the field of literary investigations: it gives a literary milieu study of its time, in which the police chases a fugitive in the province of Rhine-Hesse in Germany. The implicit protagonist of the novel, however, is the emerging movement of German National Socialism. The literary investigation thus proceeds as a counter-investigation: It illuminates the spectrum of social and psychological events that take shape in light of the police investigation, and thus depicts the beginnings of fascism. The literary counter-investigation is thus not driven by a single event, but by the emergence of a social disposition. The article then shows that Seghers’ artistic mode of representation is informed by both her dissertation on Rembrandt and contemporary discussions of ‘realism’; furthermore, it argues that the novel establishes ‘counter-investigation’ as a para-genre the history of which leads up to the present, as recent films like Michael Haneke’s The white Ribbon (2009) show.