Respectful Maternity Care
The past two decades have been marked by substantive progress in reducing maternal and child deaths, but progress has often been slow to reach those who need it most. Provision of quality care is uneven, often failing to respect the rights and dignity of those who seek it. In 2011, White Ribbon Alliance launched a global campaign to promote a clear standard for respectful maternity care (RMC), rooted in international human rights. Working with global organizations, White Ribbon Alliance produced the ground-breaking Respectful Maternity Care Charter, which was updated in 2018 to delineate the rights of newborns, and is actively used to raise awareness and create policy change worldwide. As part of this work, White Ribbon Alliance convenes the Global Respectful Maternity Care Council, a robust community of maternal health researchers, practitioners, advocates, policymakers and programmers, who work to advance respectful, dignified and rights-based care for all women and newborns.
Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) Resources
The Global Respectful Maternity Care Council presents the Respectful Maternity Care Charter: Universal Rights of Women and Newborns, updated to clearly articulate the rights of women and newborns during maternity care.
2019 UPDATED RMC RESOURCE SUITE
- RMC CHARTER: Respectful Maternity Care Charter: Universal Rights of Women and Newborns: Arabic, English, French, Spanish, Russian.
- RMC BROCHURE:
- RMC POSTER: Arabic; English; French; Spanish; Russian
- POWERPOINT TEMPLATES: English, French, Spanish
- SOCIAL MEDIA: Social Media Toolkit
- PODCAST: Brave Voices Bold Actions Podcast; Season 1: Respectful & Dignified Care
The following resources are pending updates, however, we encourage you to continue using them in your efforts to ensure that all women receive respectful, dignified care during pregnancy and childbirth.
GUIDES
- RMC Advocacy Guide: English Spanish
- RMC and the Media: English; Spanish
- 5 Approaches to RMC
- International Childbirth Initiative: 12 Steps to Safe and Respectful MotherBaby-Family Maternity Care
REPORTS & POLICY BRIEFS
Provide a roadmap for donors, advocates, policy-makers and practitioners to advocate for respectful maternity care at the local, national and global level.
- RMC Impact Brief
- Office of the High Commissioner Report
- Pulling Back the Curtain on D&A: English; French
- Disrespect & Abuse in Childbirth and Respectful Maternity Care: English; Spanish
- RMC and Human Resources for Health: English, Spanish
- RMC & Social Accountability: English; Spanish
TOOLS
Shareable slide decks, printouts, and hands-on tools with information and examples of RMC for maternal and newborn health.
- RMC Wiki Database
- RMC: Tackling Disrespect & Abuse During Facility-Based Childbirth (Original); (Extended)
- RMC for Healthcare Workers: Tackling Disrespect & Abuse During Facility-Based Childbirth
Videos
- Find a variety of RMC-themed videos at the RMC playlist
Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) Resources
The Global Respectful Maternity Care Council presents the Respectful Maternity Care Charter: Universal Rights of Women and Newborns, updated to clearly articulate the rights of women and newborns during maternity care. CLICK HERE FOR THE 2019 UPDATED RMC CHARTER AND RESOURCES.
The following resources are pending updates, however, we encourage you to continue using them in your efforts to ensure that all women receive respectful, dignified care during pregnancy and childbirth.
GUIDES
- Advocating for RMC: English; Spanish
- RMC and the Media: English; Spanish
- 5 Approaches to RMC
- Universal Rights of Childbearing Women Charter: Arabic; French; Spanish
- International Childbirth Initiative: 12 Steps to Safe and Respectful MotherBaby-Family Maternity Care
REPORTS & POLICY BRIEFS
Provide a roadmap for donors, advocates, policy-makers and practitioners to advocate for respectful maternity care at the local, national and global level.
- RMC Impact Brief
- Office of the High Commissioner Report
- Pulling Back the Curtain on D&A: English; French
- Disrespect & Abuse in Childbirth and Respectful Maternity Care: English; Spanish
- RMC and Human Resources for Health: English, Spanish
- RMC & Social Accountability: English; Spanish
TOOLS
Shareable slide decks, printouts, and hands-on tools with information and examples of RMC for maternal and newborn health.
- RMC Poster: Arabic; Croatian; Greek; Hindi; Italian; Spanish
- RMC Brochure: Arabic; French; Spanish
- RMC Wiki Database
PowerPoint Presentations
- RMC: Tackling Disrespect & Abuse During Facility-Based Childbirth (Original); (Extended)
- RMC for Healthcare Workers: Tackling Disrespect & Abuse During Facility-Based Childbirth
Videos
- Find a variety of RMC-themed videos at the RMC playlist