Child appropriations and irregular adoptions: Activism for the “right to identity,” justice, and reparation in Argentina and Chile

Abstract

In this article we examine the process of construction and transformation of the meanings surrounding the serious violations of the Right to Identity in Argentina and Chile, which encompass from child appropriations during dictatorships to so called “irregular adoptions.” We inquire about how activists have built their public claims of justice and reparation. We discuss the singularities and differences of these processes in both countries and the current challenges, particularly in the construction of those affected as victims of human rights violations.

Violencias, demandas de justicia e identidad: problematizando la apropiación de niños y niñas desde América Latina

“…A partir de esa visibilización, diversas historias de víctimas de adopciones forzadas se hicieron públicas y a través de ellas fue posible conocer los mecanismos por los cuales mujeres muy jóvenes y muy pobres eran convencidas o coaccionadas a entregar a sus hijos en adopción (Alfaro, 2022). Como veremos en el artículo de Karen Alfaro y de Irene Salvo Agoglia incluido en este dossier, gradualmente se han incrementado diferentes estudios que no sólo permitieron conocer un pasado silenciado, sino también realizar abordajes comparativos respecto de las políticas, el contexto represivo y las demandas construidas en términos de acceso a derechos en el Cono Sur (Gesteira, Salvo Agoglia, Villalta y Alfaro, 2021).…”

Reproductive Governance in Nordeste/Northeast (Juan Solanas, 2005, Argentina/France/Belgium/Spain)

“…As Gesteira et al . (2021: 5) explain, in Argentina ‘child appropriation is a practice dating back to the military campaigns responsible for the indigenous genocide of the late nineteenth century’, and it was in the aftermath of the 1976–1983 Argentinian dictatorship that this kind of child appropriation became more recognised. While the film emphasises adoption rather than appropriation, it is clear that Hélène is willing to engage with illegal trafficking in order to secure her baby.…”

Perfectos (des) conocidos: búsquedas y encuentros entre adultos adoptados y sus hermanos/as de origen en Chile, Argentina y España

“…In this article, we analyse the results of a multisited comparative international project, carried out in Chile, Argentina and Spain, about searches for origins in adoption. All three countries share a long tradition of adoptions characterised by secrecy, taboos and irregular practices (Gesteira et al 2021;Marre and Gaggiotti 2021). However, given the global movement towards openness in adoption, particularly in the past decade, in these three countries, the number of adult adoptees searching for their birth relatives, especially birth mothers and birth siblings, is increasing every year.…”