The Argentine “children of genocidaires”: breaking the silence and finding their place in history
In the shadow of Argentina’s dictatorship, which led to thousands of enforced disappearances between 1976 and 1983, lies a group of people carrying a heavy burden. These are the “children of genocidaires”, these individuals whose fathers were police officers or soldiers responsible for crimes against humanity. After years of shame and silence, they decided to break the silence and share their story, in hopes of repudiating their parents’ actions and finding their place alongside the victims’ children.
The existence of this terrible family secret has marked some since their earliest childhood, while others only discovered the truth decades later, when the trials for crimes against humanity began. How can you build or rebuild yourself when discovering that your own father is guilty of torture, rape, or even murder? How can we find our place alongside the children of the victims, who themselves witnessed the horrors committed during this dark period of Argentine history?
These tragic events date back to the period of the “dirty war” (1976-1983), when the Argentine military junta kidnapped thousands of people considered to be “political opponents”. Many suffered horrific torture before being thrown alive from planes into the Rio de la Plata, in what are known as “death flights.” The bodies of many victims have never been found, and human rights associations estimate the number of “desaparecidos”, the missing, at 30,000.
For several years, the children of the dictatorship’s executioners have undertaken a unique journey in the world by deciding to make their family history public. They thus seek to deny the crimes committed by their fathers and to position themselves on the side of memory, truth and justice. Some of them launched into militant battles against negationism, others created associations to raise public awareness, while some found a form of catharsis through psychoanalysis or writing.
We went to meet these Argentinian “children of genocidaires”, forty years after the end of the dictatorship, in order to understand the long path they had to take to accept their tragic heritage. We followed them in their individual and collective efforts, bearing witness to their fight against oblivion and their quest for reconciliation with history. They hope to break the chains of silence that oppressed them for years and regain a legitimate place in Argentine society, alongside the children of the victims who also suffered from the dark legacy of this period..
By sharing their story, the “children of genocidaires” hope to contribute to a quest for truth and a more just society. They are a poignant reminder of the importance of confronting past crimes and pursuing those responsible to achieve lasting reconciliation.