Black women and girls across the Americas are more likely to die during childbirth due to “systematic racism” in the health sector, according to the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA.

Afro-descendent women and girls are “systematically neglected and mistreated” starting in medical education and extending to policymaking and the delivery of health services, the agency said in a new report.

According to the report, the largest discrepancy in maternal death rates is in the US where Black women are three times more likely to die than white women.

Maternal deaths among Black women are also 2.5 times higher than white women, and 1.6 times higher in Brazil and Colombia.

“The mistreatment faced by Afro-descendent women when receiving health care can include verbal and physical abuse, denial of quality care, and refusal of pain relief,” the agency said.

“As a consequence, they face increased complications during pregnancy and delayed interventions, which too often result in death”.

The report also found that higher income and education offer little protection. (Anadolu Agency)

•File photo of black women used for illustration purpose alone