The Ministry of Participation, Transparency, Cooperation and Democratic Quality of the Generalitat Valenciana has launched the campaign “This is not a story” with the aim of helping to confirm the identity of babies stolen during the Franco dictatorship, both in the case of mothers biological as well as adopted persons.
The campaign is aimed at relatives who suspect that they may have been victims of a case of stolen babies so that DNA analysis tests can be carried out to establish a relationship of possible abducted newborns.
The Councilor for Democratic Quality, Rosa Pérez Garijo, has affirmed that the taking of DNA samples is “fundamental” to clarify a practice that was carried out in Spain for decades with absolute impunity and “to shed light on all those people who believe they have been able to being a victim of a case of stolen babies.”
The ‘This is not a story’ campaign aims, according to the Ministry in a statement, to reach relatives so that they can register their case and provide genetic information that allows data to be crossed, in order to broaden the search and establish relationships with others.
The Department of Democratic Quality continues to collect information on possible cases of stolen babies through different associations established in the Valencian Community involved in cases of stolen babies to later transfer it to the Fisabio Foundation for the collection of DNA samples and the subsequent preparation of a census of abducted newborns.
Taking samples will make it possible to create a DNA database on families looking for their descendants and sons and daughters looking for their families and to compare data in case it could be cases of babies stolen from their mothers.
The associations for stolen babies are the Association of Victims of Stolen Children of Alicante (AVA), the International Platform for Victims of Forced Child Disappearances ‘We are looking for you’, the SOS Bebés Robados association of Valencia and SOS Babies Robados of the Valencian Community, entities that manage the necessary documentation to proceed with the collection of samples from interested persons.
Anyone who suspects that they may have been a victim of this type of practice can contact the associations for stolen babies in the Valencian Community through the following emails: avalicante@hotmail.com; plataforma.teestamosbuscando@gmail.com; comunidadvalenciana@sos-bebesrobados.es; and valenciasosbebesrobados@hotmail.es.
DNA analyzes are carried out through the Fisabio Foundation Sequencing Service, dependent on the Ministry of Universal Health and Public Health, thanks to the collaboration it maintains with the Ministry of Participation, Transparency, Cooperation and Democratic Quality.
The first analyzes have made it possible to find two coincidences to date and establish the relationship of four people who are victims of cases of stolen babies, according to the data offered last February.
After the analysis of 134 biological samples from 91 relatives of stolen babies and 43 possible babies stolen using new massive sequencing techniques, it was determined that there was a relationship between two sisters and a brother and his sister.
