And the March Continues

For three decades the Madres de Plaza de Mayo (Mothers of Plaza de Mayo) have been marching around the Pirámide in the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires in memory of their missing children. The number of mothers are dwindling as the years pass yet those who are left persist and persevere with their quest for justice.

Plaza de Mayo from the Casa Rosada

In the the 70's (1976-1983) during what was called the Dirty War, thousands of Argentinians were kidnapped, tortured and killed by agents of the military dictatorship. Some of the abducted children were given to military families. There has yet to be a full accounting of the "desaparecidos" (the disappeared) although a civilian commission investigation puts the number at about 11,000 desaparacidos. Other sources claim the number to be as high as 30,000.

The Madres keep the memory and spirit of their missing children alive through their weekly march and other projects including free education and health care services, among others.

Banners are permanently displayed in the Plaza de Mayo which is across from the Casa Rosada (the seat of the executive branch of the government and office of the President). One of these reads: "No se puede y no se debe dejar de hablar del pasado" (We cannot and should not stop talking about the past).

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Images by Charie

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