Doulas & Obstetric Violence
In honour of World Doula Week 2019, The Obstetric Justice Project conducted a 10 question survey.
Seventy-five (75) doulas from across Canada took part in the research.
Here is a sneak peek at the quantitative results of the first three questions.
Preview of the full report:
1. How long ago did you complete your doula training?
Less than 2 years ago - 28.0% (21)
About 2 - 5 years ago - 30.67% (23)
About 5 - 8 years ago - 13.33% (10)
More than 8 years ago - 22.67% (17)
I have not received formal training but I do doula work in Canada - 5.33% (4)
2. Was Obstetric Violence covered in your doula training?
Yes - 40% (30)
No - 60% (45)
3. Have you ever witnessed or experienced Obstetric Violence?
Yes - 92% (69)
No 8% (6)
Of the 8% who had not witnessed Obstetric Violence, one third had not yet attended a birth.
From these responses, it is clear that the overwhelming majority of practicing doulas have witnessed or experienced Obstetric Violence, yet most who took part in the survey had not been trained in a manner that addressed this reality.
