This article presents a critical-narrative review about obstetric violence, including academic literature, productions of social movements and institutional documents, in Brazil and internationally. The authors map the definitions and types of violence. The complex causation of these forms of violence is discussed, including the role of professional training, the organization of health services, and the implications for maternal morbidity and mortality. Finally they present interventions in public health that have been used or proposed to prevent and mitigate obstetric violence, and an agenda for innovation and research in this area.