Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo
Encyclopedia
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
organisation with the aim of finding the babies stolen during the era of the Argentine dictatorship
National Reorganization Process
The National Reorganization Process was the name used by its leaders for the military government that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. In Argentina it is often known simply as la última junta militar or la última dictadura , because several of them existed throughout its history.The Argentine...
known as the "Dirty War
Dirty War
The Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
" (1976–1983). Its president is Estela Barnes de Carlotto
Estela Barnes de Carlotto
Enriqueta Estela Barnes de Carlotto is an Argentine human rights activist and leader of the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo.-Early life and family tragedy:...
.
It was founded in 1977 to locate children kidnapped during the repression and return them to their biological families. The work of the Grandmothers, assisted by scientist Mary-Claire King
Mary-Claire King
Mary-Claire King is an American human geneticist. She is a professor at the University of Washington, where she studies the genetics and interaction of genetics and environmental influences on human conditions such as HIV, lupus, inherited deafness, and also breast and ovarian cancer...
, has led to the location of over 10 percent of the estimated 500 children kidnapped or born in detention during the military era. In 1998, the identity of 256 missing babies were documented. Of those, 56 children have been located and seven of them had died. The Grandmothers' work led to the creation of the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team
Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team
The Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team is an Argentine not-for-profit scientific non-governmental organisation...
and the establishment of a National Genetic Data Bank. Aided by recent breakthroughs in genetic testing, the Grandmothers succeeded in returning 31 children to their biological families, while 13 others were raised jointly by their adoptive and biological families; the remaining cases are bogged down in court custody battles.
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is an autonomous organ of the Organization of American States .Along with the...
(IACHR), this was justified by the junta by the following reasoning: "The anguish generated in the rest of the surviving family because of the absence of the disappeared would develop, after a few years, into a new generation of subversive or potentially subversive elements, thereby not permitting an effective end to the Dirty War.".
As an off-shoot of the Silvia Quintela
Silvia Quintela
Silvia Quintela was an Argentine doctor who became one of the best-known victims among "the disappeared" during 1976-83 military dictatorship. Her case has gained recognition for the fact that at the time of her detention by the military junta, she and her husband Abel Madariaga, an agronomist,...
case, former dictator Jorge Videla was put to house-arrest on charges of kidnappings.
On 14 September 2011 Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo received the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize
Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize
The Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize was established in 1990 by UNESCO:The prize bears the name of Félix Houphouët-Boigny, late former president of Côte d'Ivoire. It is awarded annually. The prize is 122,000 euros, to be shared equally in the case of multiple recipients.-Recipients:-External...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
for their work in defense of Human Rights.
See also
- Madres de Plaza de Mayo
- Dirty War (Argentina)Dirty WarThe Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
- National Reorganization ProcessNational Reorganization ProcessThe National Reorganization Process was the name used by its leaders for the military government that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. In Argentina it is often known simply as la última junta militar or la última dictadura , because several of them existed throughout its history.The Argentine...
- ESMAESMAThe Navy Petty-Officers School of Mechanics , commonly referred to by its abbreviation ESMA, is a facility of the Argentine Navy that was employed as an illegal detention center during the dictatorial rule of the National Reorganization Process...
- The Official StoryThe Official StoryThe Official Story is a 1985 Argentine drama film directed by Luis Puenzo, and written by Puenzo and Aída Bortnik. It stars Norma Aleandro, Héctor Alterio, and Chunchuna Villafañe, among others. In the United Kingdom, it was released as The Official Version.The film is about an upper middle class...
, a movie related to the "stolen babies" case - CautivaCautivaCautiva is a 2005 Argentine film that concerns itself with what happened to the children of the people killed after the 1970s military coup. The film states it was made with the support of Argentine National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts...
, another movie related to the "stolen babies" case