Gynecological and Obstetric Violence Against Women with Disabilities: Violations and Resistances from a Decolonial Perspective

Gynecological and obstetric violence is a form of gender-based violence that directly affects women's integrity, negatively impacting their bodies and subjectivity. For women with disabilities, its perpetuation is exacerbated and becomes more complex due to the network of violences (institutional, medical, sexual, economic, gender-based) to which they have been systematically exposed. Unjustified interventions, misinformation, over-medicalization, and mistreatment are manifestations of gynecological and obstetric violence that have been normalized within institutional culture since they are foundational to the biomedical model. For this reason, they are often not questioned as acts of violence or mistreatment, but rather perceived as caregiving practices. From the paradigm of decolonial feminism, interviews and body mapping were conducted to delve into the experiences of women with disabilities regarding gender-based violence. This made it possible to uncover the serious repercussions on mental, emotional, physical, and sexual health caused by gynecological and obstetric violence toward women with disabilities living in the central-southern region of Chile. One strategy through which to address GOV involves the collectivization of subjective disaffection in common spaces. It is crucial that healthcare institutions have teams trained to attend persons with disabilities as well as strategies for the prevention and reparation of acts of GOV. It is paramount to foster the social participation of women with disabilities in healthcare matters in order to make their experiences visible in spaces of collaboration with professionals, institutions, and policymakers.