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Argentine women whose fathers were condemned for human rights abuses during the Dirty War (1974-1983) marched for the first time in the country's history to defend “memory, truth and justice,” along with the national march against gender violence Saturday.
“Histories of disobedience. 30,000 reasons. Sons and daughters of people responsible for genocide support memory, truth and justice,” read a banner held by a group of seven women in the middle of the crowd.
The women, between 40 and 60 years old, decided to take part in the massive march against femicides known as #NiUnaMenos, or #NotOneMore in English, as the first public appearance of their recently-created organization.
“They are very brave. As much for their personal history than their awareness of the genocide,” Martina Mirabelles, a teacher, who applauded the women according to AFP.
Patricia Isasa, who was tortured and raped in three concentration camps when she was 16 years old, called the “huge efforts” of daughters of torturers against their fathers and the patriarchal society,“historical”. “They are all victims of these cruel men,” she said.
Erika Lederer is the daughter of Ricardo, an obstetrician who participated in the coup against Salvador Allende and headed the illegal maternity unit of a military hospital at Campo de Mayo, stealing the prisoners' babies. He killed himself when an investigation was opened against him.
His daughter said she suspected what her father was doing since she was a child, asking him “uneasy questions.” She became a lawyer because her father prohibited her from studying philosophy as she wanted, arguing it was for “lefties.”
“At home, there was a lot of domestic violence, to the point that I'd think: if he can do this to me, he can do even worse to unknown people,” she recalled, mentioning her “solitude” as well as the “shame” she could not share with anyone else.
She used to ask her father if he regretted anything, but he never admitted any wrongdoing, she added.
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