Victoria Donda - Recovery of Her Identity

Recovery of Her Identity

In 2003, when she was 26 years of age, Victoria Donda discovered her true identity after communicating with the group H.I.J.O.S. (Sons and Daughters for Identity and Justice Against Oblivion and Silence) and the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo.

Despite that, even knowing that her real mother was one of the ESMA disappeared, for a long time she was reluctant to have her DNA tested in order to find out who her biological parents were.

On May 24, 2004, when ESMA was converted by the government into a memorial center, Donda spoke at the ceremony:

I realized that I knew I was born there, but also that I was not sure who my mother was. It was moving but at the same time, sad. I thought: 'This woman had been so courageous to get pregnant, to continue fighting for the same society I'm fighting for now, to withstand torture so I could be born and I'm such a chicken who can't even go and give a small blood sample'. I felt I was not worthy of my parents. —

One week later, DNA analysis revealed Donda's true identity. She was the first "sister" found by H.I.J.O.S. and the 78th granddaughter found by the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo. Some weeks later, her kidnapper was detained; he is currently on trial, along with Juan Antonio Azic and other prosecuted, for 62 crimes against humanity.