A disturbing but common practice in many developing countries is the detainment of women who have recently given birth and who cannot afford their hospital charges. Contrary to policies aimed at encouraging women to deliver in health facilities, this practice is an abuse of their rights and has implications for wider maternal and neonatal health.

Detention of women is a surprisingly common problem, with current and recent examples of this practice found in Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, the Philippines and Zimbabwe.1 It is, however, very difficult to estimate the extent of the problem as there are no prevalence studies and in many situations these detentions are illegal with no official figures. Most of the information concerning this practice therefore comes from assessments of single hospitals or anecdotal reports.

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