Research Area

The Research Team is in charge of receiving claims from the community when there is reasonable doubt that a young man or woman may have been appropriated by those who claim to be his or her parents.

Abuelas receive reports many ways: via fax, phone, mail, e-mail, and in person. Anonymous reports are also accepted.

Each claim or report is meticulously analyzed and, if there is enough information to proceed, the National Committee for the Right to an Identity (CONADI) makes it possible to obtain documents which are presumed to have been forged, such as birth and medical certificates.

After documents have been tested to determine whether or not they include false information, a more detailed investigation is conducted, including any field investigations that may be necessary.

If there are still doubts as to the person's identity, the case is referred to the Legal Team and a criminal case is started. Before that can occur, the case needs to be linked to one of the kidnapped grandchildren for whom Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo is still looking. In order to do that, the Research Team keeps records of all reported kidnappings of children and/or parents (recorded from many diverse sources from biological family members and statements by concentration camps survivors to information regarding oppressors, as well as physicians and midwives, who played active roles in the appropriation process).

Information regarding the status of any investigation is under no circumstances provided to anyone who supplies information, in order to keep the matter confidential.

It is important to note that the Research Team does not locate missing grandchildren. They can only find indications as to whether a birth certificate is fake or forged. Conclusive evidence regarding a person's identity is always the result of genetic testing.

Can I Provide Information?

In order to supply information regarding a young man/woman who may have been appropriated, it is imperative to know at least one of the following: name and surname of the young man/woman, name and surname of the adoptive mother/father, address, and/or telephone number. Without this information, it is almost impossible to successfully carry out an investigation.

It is also useful to include information regarding the current status of the young person: work, study, family situation, whether he/she knows he/she is not the biological child of those registered as his/her parents, and whether he/she desires to know his/her identity.