The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), World Health Organization (WHO), White Ribbon Alliance (WRA) and partners are calling for an end to the discrimination, harrassment and lack of respect that hinder midwives' ability to provide quality care to women and newborns. 

 

“It’s time to recognize the pivotal role midwives play in keeping mothers and newborns alive,”  says Dr Anthony Costello, Director of Maternal, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health at WHO. “Their voices have gone unheard for too long, and too often they have been denied a seat at the decision-making table.”

 

The first global survey of midwifery personnel led by the WHO, the ICM and WRA, Midwives’ Voices, Midwives Realities: Findings from a global consultation on providing quality midwifery care, reports findings from 2400 midwives who chose to complete an online survey in 93 countries and was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).