THE PARLIAMENTARY INVESTIGATION COMMISSION OF BORIS BARRERA
Year: 2018-2019
WHO IS BORIS BARRERA?
Boris Barrera is a Chilean politician. A Deputy based in the Chamber of Deputies which has its seat at the National Congress of Chile in Valparaiso.
An investigation commission can be realised by any deputy through votes within the Chamber of Deputies. If a deputy though the work they do get signals from society that there is something going on which requires to be investigated, a deputy can try to see if he can get votes through his colleagues to get it investigated officially by setting up an investigation commission.
It is important that the deputy gets votes first through his colleagues so he has to lobby here and there to have his colleague deputies be looking into the same direction.
The Chamber of Deputies of Chile consists of 150 deputies of different parties. In order to have an Investigation Commission set up, a deputy is required to have at least 66 votes in favour which is a little bit less than half of the amount of the total chamber.
HOW IT CAME TO THIS
Last year Boris Barrera was called by a Chilean organization who are functioning as a platform for all the mothers who are looking for their children and not know where they are. We as adoptees are obviously connected to the mothers and so, we went to the National Congress in Valparaiso to be included in two sessions to be speaking about our experiences. Mothers as well as myself as an adoptee living currently in Chile.
In these session we were listened to and it was clear. This situation that these mothers and adoptees are living, needs to be investigated through an official Investigation Commission. The idea here is to find out where the Chilean State, the public system in a whole, failed to protect these mothers and children.
THE ACTUAL VOTE
In November Boris Barrera had enough votes together to here the vote would officially take place. On the 27th of November we went to the Congress to see the happenings as they would unfold. The vote was positive!! And the Investigation Commission was to be set up.
THE INVESTIGATION COMMISSION SET UP
This commission ahs 90 days the time to get into the deep details of that what the mothers and children have gone through and where has the Chilean State failed to protect them on an administratively level. This is not a criminal investigation like that what Mario Carroza is dealing with together with the PDI. This commission is here to look at the administrative part of the illicit adoptions that took place.
THE SESSIONS
So how does it work. For the 90 days the commission has, every Monday at 17.00h they are coming together in the formal building of the Chamber of Deputies, located at center of Santiago. Each session takes two full hours to be completed and in every session there are people invited. Mothers are invited to do their testimonies and also adoptees came to the sessions through online connections in order to do their testimonials.
WHO WERE INVITED IN ORDER TO BE INVESTIGATED?
- Mothers who lost their child(ren)
- Adoptees
- Karen Alfaro M. (Professor of History at the University Austral in Valdivia)
- The SENAME (Child Protection Authority)
- Servicio Registro Civl e identificación (The Register Office)
- The PDI (Policia de Investigaciones de Chile)
- National Institution of Human Rights (INDH)
- Groups / Organizations representing mothers who lost their child(ren)
- NOS BUSCAMOS, an organization who is dealing with family searches in Chile
- Ministry of Health
- Ministry of Justice
- Medical Service Authority
- A director of a Hospital where children were taken away after birth
- Mario Carroza
And others. Not all came to the sessions. Mario Carroza for example, did not make it to the session.
THE OUTCOME
We are currently getting to the last sessions as the 90 days are almost over. The last thing is that than there will be a report being written about the content of all the sessions which will than be used to do and make changes happen there where it is required so that administrations are being opened, books are being opened, archives can be looked into and so that hopefully people can get clearance of the whereabouts of their children.
BELOW YOU WILL FIND ALL THE PRESENTATIONS OF THE SESSIONS ORDERED BY DATE
04 MARCH 2019 – SESSION 01
- Presentacion-Agrupacion-Hijos-y-Madres-del-Silencio
- Minuta-Senora-Nicole-Guillaume-(Expuso-Cristian-Marcelo-Cortes–Rojas)
11 MARCH 2019 – SESSION 02
- Minuta-del-testimonio-de-la-senora-Elena-del-Carmen-Heredia
- Presentacion-de-la-senora-Karen-Alfaro_historiadora-Universidad-Austral-de-Chile
18 MARCH 2019 – SESSION 03
- Minuta del testimonio de la señora Rosa Gálvez. (Desde Perú, vía Skype)
- Minuta del testimonio de la señora Valeska Bravo.
- Minuta del testimonio de la señora Sofia Carvajal.
- Presentación Testimonio señora Sandra Castillo. BUSQUEDA DE ORIGENES.
01 APRIL 2019 – SESSION 04
- Presentación del Ministerio de Salud. DIVISION DE GESTION DE LA RED ASISTENCIAL Subsecretaría de Redes Asistenciale, Dra. Maria Eugenia Wegner Mat. Solange Burgos
- Presentación señora Susana Tonda, Directora Nacional del Servicio Nacional de Menores (Sename)
08 APRIL 2019 – SESSION 05
- Testimonio del señor Mans Wikstron Bjorklund (Suecia).
- Presentación Directora señora Constanza del Río, Agrupación Nos Buscamos.
- Presentación Agrupación Madres e Hijos Se Buscan, (Coquimbo). Testimonios de Alicia Galleguillos y Nury Bruna.
15 APRIL 2019 – SESSION 06
- Copia de denuncio. Señora Ana María Morales, Hijos y Madres del Silencio.
- Minuta del Director del Hospital de Talca, Doctor Alfredo Donoso Barros.
- Exposición en representación del señor Ministro de Salud, la Doctora Elizabeth Cabello, asesora del gabinete y la Doctora. María Eugenia Wegner, Jefa del departamento GES redes de alta complejidad y líneas programáticas de la DIGERA, de la Subsecretaría de Redes Asistenciales y Jaime González, asesor legislativo, del Ministerio de Salud.
22 APRIL 2019 – SESSION 07
- Presentación de la Agrupación Hijos y Madres del Silencio: tema APROPIADOS, Adopciones Ilegales.
06 MAY 2019 – SESSION 08
- Presentación de Policía de Investigaciones de Chile.
- Presentación de Policía de Investigaciones de Chile.
- Presentación del Instituto Nacional de Derechos Humanos.
13 MAY 2019 – SESSION 09
- Presentación Servicio Médico Legal.
- Del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Dirección General de Asuntos Consulares, Inmigración y de chilenos en el extranjero expusieron el señor Director General de Asuntos Consulares, Embajador Raúl Sanhueza, le acompañó el abogado Francisco Dellacasa.