GENEVA (20 November 2025) – Independent human rights
experts* today urged Spain to approve the draft bill on
“stolen babies” under parliamentary review since 2020,
thereby upholding the right to truth, justice, reparation
and guarantees of non-repetition for the victims of the
so-called theft of babies in Spain since 17 July
1936.
“Despite the pain and mounting evidence of the
harm suffered by mothers and families due to so-called theft
of babies in Spain, the lack of a comprehensive legal
framework has prevented the State from offering an effective
response to the victims of these crimes, which often
encompassed enforced disappearance,” the experts said.
“The proposed law seeks to end that silence by
establishing real mechanisms for truth, justice, reparation,
and guarantees of non-repetition.”
The bill includes
key measures such as the creation of a national register of
victims, ensuring access to archives and public records,
providing free DNA testing, the establishment of a special
investigation unit, and the legal recognition of the
wrongful removal of children from biological families and
subsequent falsification of documents and enforced
disappearance as a crime against humanity.
It also
aims to provide free psychological and legal assistance for
families, mandating public awareness campaigns, and
strengthening cooperation between regional administrations
and judicial bodies.
The bill was originally submitted
in 2018 and was taken into consideration in 2020. Final
amendments and approval have been subject to multiple
postponements until today.
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“For decades, thousands
of Spanish mothers and families have been deprived of the
right to know the truth about the fate and whereabouts of
their children, often victims of enforced disappearances,”
the experts said.
“Ultimately, this affects society
as a whole. As we commemorate the International Day of the
Rights of the Child, we call on Spain to seize this
opportunity to do right by the victims and society at large
and advance the approval of this crucial law.”
The
experts have shared these concerns with the Government of
Spain.
*The
experts:
- Gabriella Citroni
(Chair-Rapporteur), Grażyna Baranowska (Vice-Chair), Aua
Baldé; Ana Lorena Delgadillo Pérez, and Mohammed
Al-Obaidi, Working
Group on Enforced or Involuntary
Disappearances - Bernard Duhaime, Special
Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation
and guarantees of non-recurrence - Alice
Jill Edwards, Special
Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment - Siobhán
Mullally, Special
Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and
children - Claudia Flores (Chair), Ivana
Krstić (Vice-Chair), Dorothy Estrada Tanck, Haina Lu, and
Laura Nyirinkindi, Working
Group on discrimination against women and
girls - Juan Pablo Albán Alencastro
(Chair); Yakouma Jean de Dieu Bambara; Marija Definis
(Rapporteur); Matar Diop (Vice Chair); Olivier de Frouville
(Vice Chair); Fidelis Kanyongolo; Barbara Lochbihler; Elías
Ricardo Solís González; Paulo De Tarso Vannuchi; Carmen
Rosa Villa Quintana (Vice Chair), Committee
on Enforced
Disappearances
