Rochelle Humes' powerful Channel 4 docu-film Black Maternity Scandal helps the topic reach more ahead of parliament debate

Rochelle Humes' powerful Channel 4 docu-film in which she investigated the Black Maternity Scandal has helped raise awareness of the topic ahead of its debate in Parliament.

Rochelle Humes' powerful Channel 4 Dispatches documentary in which she investigated the Black Maternity Scandal has helped the important topic reach more people before it's to be debated in Parliament.

Rochelle, 32, lifted the lid on the issue when she recently presented the docu-film that saw her investigate the topic to raise awareness - and now there's a greater awareness of the campaign's petition, which is set to be debated in Parliament next month.

The singer-turned TV presenter, who is mum to daughters Alaia-Mai, seven, Valentina, four, and four-month-old son Blake, with husband Marvin Humes, asked why Black women are four times more likely to die from pregnancy or childbirth than white women, as she delved into the stories of expectant mothers, bereaved families, and those who survived a near miss.

And now campaigners FivexMore are one step closer to getting the answers they need, as they revealed the topic is to be debated in Parliament on 19th April.

The group tweeted, 'Thank you for everyone who tuned into the #Dispatches programme just now. The campaign's petition will be debated in parliament on 19th April. For more information on our campaign and how you can get involved please visit fivexmore.com'

Their website states, 'Black Women are four times more likely to die and we need to know why. According to the MBRRACE UK, 2020 report (a report that looks into maternal deaths), Black women in the UK have a four fold higher risk of dying in pregnancy in comparison to a white woman. Historically, this number was five times more (MBRRACE 2018 & 2019), hence where the name of our campaign started.' 

Rochelle shared how racial bias has influenced the provision and condition of maternal care and examined what can be done to prevent further tragedies.

For anyone who missed it, Rochelle, who also occasionally presents ITV daytime show This Morning, shared a short compelling trailer for the documentary to her Instagram page.

In the trailer for the Rochelle Humes' Black Maternity Scandal documentary, Rochelle said, “From the first moment you find out you’re pregnant, you think ’Oh, I hope everything’s alright’. But not at any point should you think, ‘Am I going to make it through, because of my race?’”

Another Black mother then claims, “Black women are dying from things that are preventable”.

And the Rochelle Humes' Black Maternity Scandal documentary received praise from the fellow documentary queen and Strictly Come Dancing winner Stacey Dooley, who wrote, 'WELL DONE SUPERSTAR!' Rochelle's friend and presenter Ore Oduba wrote, 'So proud Roch. Congrats to you and the whole team for making this film' and singer Jamelia added, 'So Proud of You All!! 🙌🏾🙌🏾 Well Done...such an important topic!!'

And viewers have pledged their support too for the campaign. One wrote, 'Just watched the programme and as a white women I was unaware it is at the level it is. I applaud your work and month and pledge advocate.' (sic)

And another viewer claimed, 'Working in the nhs as a black midwife I see this all the time... The stereotypes given to black men as aggressive when they are worried compared to white partners is real and sadly for many black women this news is not new nor shocking. We know we are treated differently.'

Fivexmore's government petition gained over 187,000 signatures in June 2020 and will be debated in parliament on 19th April 2021. The campaign group has also submitted written and oral evidence to the Maternity Safety Enquiry that’s currently taken place.

For more information on the fivemore campaign and how you can get involved visit their website.