Introduction: Disrespect and abuse during facility-based childbirth continue to be a significant obstacle to providing high-quality maternal health care worldwide, since they infringe on women’s rights, dignity, and confidence in healthcare systems. Despite an increase in availability of medically-supervised births for childbirth, many women continue to suffer from mistreatment around the world. Insufficient health professionals, overwhelming caseloads, poor infrastructure, and lack of accountability exacerbate issues in low-and middle-income countries. Despite increased access to maternal health care in Ghana, especially in northern regions, abuses persist and remain poorly documented.

Purpose: The study sought to assess the prevalence and forms of disrespect and abuse experienced by women during facility-based childbirth in Northern Ghana.

Method: The study was conducted in the Northern Region of Ghana using a descriptive cross-sectional design and quantitative approach. A probability sampling method was used to select 1,347 mothers who had recently delivered and were receiving postnatal care services between March, 2024 to May, 2024. IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27 was used to analyse the data collected.

Results: The study documented significant disrespect and abuse in facility-based childbirth, specific issues cited were non-consented care, physical abuse, and detention for non-payment. Almost half (50%) of the women reported being physically assaulted, two-third experienced demeaning treatment, and a quarter had not given consent for medical procedures. Many women felt hostage to payment policies, reporting psychological harm, including feelings of anger, resentment, and distrust towards healthcare providers, alongside threats of abandonment when payment was an issue.

Conclusion: The study highlights the critical necessity to prioritise respectful maternity care as a central component of quality obstetric services in Northern Ghana, highlighting the urgency for health system-level reforms to address disrespect and abuse during childbirth.

Keywords: Disrespect and abuse, facility-based childbirth, psychological effects, respectful maternity care, and women’s rights