“Let Them Appear Alive and Let the Guilty Be Punished”: The Fight of the Madres and Abuelas of the Plaza de Mayo

Abstract

The Madres and Abuelas of the Plaza de Mayo embrace their role as mothers in order to accomplish their goals of being reunited with their disappeared children, drawing strength from their belief that it is a mother’s duty to protect her children at any cost, and that an individual’s knowledge of their family’s identity is an crucial human right. In 1976 Buenos Aires they formed to protest the disappearances of their children and grandchildren at the hands of a military dictatorship. Over the past nearly 50 years, a multitude of researchers have written about their struggles and triumphs, highlighting the impossible situation in which they found themselves in and their surprising successes in the face of that. Similar to social justice groups around the world, the Madres and Abuelas have employed a variety of techniques to effectively achieve their goals. From marches and other acts of civil disobedience to the creation of a new genetic test, they have revolutionized the world of activism. Their belief in the importance of their work, and the importance of their role of mother, sustains them and allows them to keep fighting for a better Argentina.