They are slapped and pinched during labor, yelled at, denied pain medicine, neglected and forced to share beds with other women who just gave birth. And that is just a partial list of the abuses and humiliations inflicted on women around the world as their babies are born.

A new report based on information from 34 countries, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, finds that “many women globally experience poor treatment during childbirth, including abusive, neglectful or disrespectful care.”

This kind of mistreatment can drive women away from hospitals and undermine international goals of reducing deaths during childbirth — now about 300,000 a year. Most maternal deaths are preventable: They are caused by problems that can be treated, like bleeding, infection and high blood pressure. Often, to save the woman’s life, the care must be quick and expert.

Health officials say the key to reducing maternal mortality is to increase the proportion of women who give birth in hospitals rather than at home. But women will avoid hospitals if they fear being abused when they are most vulnerable.