The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo

The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo is an Argentine organization of human rights activist women who have, for over three decades, fought for the right to re-unite with their abducted children.

In protests, they wear white head scarves with their children’s names embroidered, to symbolize the blankets of the lost children. The name of the organization comes from the Plaza de Mayo in central Buenos Aires, where the bereaved mothers and grandmothers first gathered. They have continued to convene there every Thursday afternoon for a decade.

The white shawl of the Mothers,

painted on the ground in Plaza de Mayo, Buenos Aires

The Mothers’ association was formed by women who had met each other in the course of trying to find their missing sons and daughters, who were abducted by agents of the Argentine government during the years known as the Dirty War (1976–1983), many of whom were then tortured and killed. The 14 founders of the association started the demonstrations on the Plaza de Mayo, in front of the Casa Rosada presidential palace, on 30 April 1977.

The Mothers’ association sought to keep the memory and spirit of their disappeared children alive, through the creation of an independent university, bookstore, library and cultural centre.

*Source: Wikipedia