People Fixing the World: Helping Chile's stolen children

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.3 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 22 May 2025

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

During the 1970s and '80s, thousands of Chilean babies were illegally kidnapped, trafficked and adopted. The practice was widespread during the rule of General Augusto Pinochet, who encouraged overseas adoptions to reduce poverty. A network of adoption brokers, hospital staff, social workers, judges, priests and nuns facilitated this trafficking. Today many of Chile’s ‘stolen children’ are trying to trace their birth families and their mothers are also looking for them. A small Santiago-based NGO called Nos Buscamos has helped hundreds of them reunite with their families using DNA testing kits, and a range of other techniques and technologies. We meet Constanza del Rio, the founder of the project and hear from the families they have helped to bring back together.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	You're listening to the documentary from the BBC World Service, the home of original storytelling.
0:06.8	I'm Myra Anubi, the presenter of People Fixing the World, a program that meets individuals who are making our world a better place.
0:15.0	Today, you'll hear a heartfelt story about one woman who's dedicated her life to helping reunite women in Chile with
0:23.4	their stolen babies.
0:26.1	People Fixing the World.
0:34.8	Welcome to People Fixing the World from the BBC World Service with me, Myra Anubi.
0:39.9	This is a program that goes a step further to find out about solutions to some of the many problems we face today.
0:47.1	This week, we're in the South American country of Chile, finding out about an extraordinary grassroots organization that's reuniting families.
0:58.7	Now, just a heads up, today's program includes some traumatic stories because we'll be talking
1:04.8	about issues of forced adoption and infant trafficking. As a mother, I can't imagine what it would be like to give birth, only to
1:13.4	have my baby taken away from me at the hospital and then sent to another country to be adopted
1:18.8	all without my consent. But this is what happened to thousands of mothers in Chile in the
1:24.3	1970s and 80s. Today, many of those adopted children are trying to find their
1:29.9	birth families. And we're going to hear about an organization that's helping them do that
1:35.4	using DNA tests, detective work, and a lot of emotional support. We'll hear some incredibly
1:42.1	positive stories of reunion and hope.
1:45.4	But first, let's go back to the beginning to understand how and why these families were separated in the first place.
1:52.6	In order to do so, I've got our reporter on the line from Chile, Jane Chambers.
1:57.4	Hi, Jane.
1:58.2	Hi, Mara.
1:59.0	Now, Jane, this story, it's almost unbelievable, the horrific scandal of Chile's stolen babies.
2:05.0	Yes, it really is. It's a huge story here in Chile and an emotive issue. So during the 1970s and 80s, Chile was under a brutal military regime ruled by General Augusto Pinaje.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 5 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.