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COMADRES
COMADRES (CoMadres) is the group of mothers and family members of disappeared, imprisoned political prisoners in El Salvador. They are known for their impactful protests throughout the Salvadoran Civil War which in turn allowed them to receive international attention. They continued to organize and fight against injustices even after the Civil War.
El Salvador is filled with a long history of social and political unrest. There has been cycles of violence and various conflicts, a significant one being La Matanza in 1932. Indigenous peasants and community activist joined together to rebel against social, political and economic injustices. Under the order of Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez, the Salvadoran military gained more power and raided/killed indigenous villages and people. Major shifts and violence around the country continued during the 1960s and 1970s. The conflict between the left and right wing grew stronger which lead to the Salvadoran Civil War which occurred from 1980 to 1992.
“In a sense, the conflict between left and right wings never ended. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, left-wing guerrillas and right-wing paramilitary death squads engaged in a deadly spiral of political violence. On October 15, 1979, a group of moderate officers ousted the dictator Carlos Humberto Romero and formed the Revolutionary Government Junta (JRG). In January 1980, right-wing violence broke out against the JRG, including bombings against government newspapers, kidnappings and murder. All of the JRG’s civilian leaders resigned. At the same time, the U.S. State Department received warnings that right-wing death squads were allying with the military against the government”.
Women were involved in the war as guerilla fighters, activists, and post-war reconstruction. They were also heavily involved in NGOs. Some NGOs were women founded and led, such as COMADRES. Las COMADRES did not emerge from a feminist agenda but from the urgent pressures of stare oppression and political instability. As their husbands were killed, family members disappeared, or forced into hiding, many women suddenly became heads of household. In the countryside, women expanded their work for survival:
" In the countryside, women have increased their activities for self-sufficiency ... producing essential goods ... and, at the same time, seeking to increase income ( trying to sell more products, looking for work as domestic laborers " ( Cabrales 4)
Others joined migration movements in search of employment, often leaving their children behind simply to secure food and survive. These circumstances reveal the severe risks and daily struggles that pushed these women to resist political tyranny and ultimately fueled the formation of COMADRES.
These women became powerful advocates for human and gender rights under El Salvador's "hegemonic ideological environment", which the military and right-wing groups sought to suppress political dissent. The COMADRES were viewed as threats because they publicly announced disappearances, actively protested, and supported families of the disappeared. Scholars described a women's identity as politically charged. As mothers became involved in social and political activism, many women began to be perceived by military authorities as "subversive" . Military officials framed their participation as a deviation from traditional gender expectations, portraying their motherhood as "tainted" or compromised because they challenged dominant political ideologies and addressed broader social injustices. As a result, they were subjected to violence, sexual harassment, and intimidation, a strategy used by the military in broader counterinsurgency efforts aimed at restricting the COMADRES' participation in social change.
"Comite de Madres y Familiares de Presos, Desaparecidos y Asesinados Politicos de El Salvador" was known as 'CoMadres'. This organization was founded in 1977 and consisted of approximately nine members. This organization played an important role during the civil war. The committee was made up of mothers and family members of people who were imprisoned, disappeared, or killed for political reasons. The goal was to advocate for the rights and social justice of their loved ones while at the same time raising awareness about the human rights violations committed by both sides. The committee consisted of students, teachers, workers, peasants, housewives and small shopkeepers. In the first two years, COMADRES had no formal office and it wasn't until 1979 that they found a definite location where they established a governance structure to maintain and organize themselves. Their organizational structure was built off of 5 different committees: Publicity, Finances, Organizing, Exterior Political relations and a director with 5 representatives that work on daily planning. Their office holds assemblies throughout the week to determine policy decisions and create campaigns for international solidarity and transnational activism. Another accomplishment in 1979 for COMADRES was their first trip abroad to Costa Rica.
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COMADRES
COMADRES (CoMadres) is the group of mothers and family members of disappeared, imprisoned political prisoners in El Salvador. They are known for their impactful protests throughout the Salvadoran Civil War which in turn allowed them to receive international attention. They continued to organize and fight against injustices even after the Civil War.
El Salvador is filled with a long history of social and political unrest. There has been cycles of violence and various conflicts, a significant one being La Matanza in 1932. Indigenous peasants and community activist joined together to rebel against social, political and economic injustices. Under the order of Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez, the Salvadoran military gained more power and raided/killed indigenous villages and people. Major shifts and violence around the country continued during the 1960s and 1970s. The conflict between the left and right wing grew stronger which lead to the Salvadoran Civil War which occurred from 1980 to 1992.
“In a sense, the conflict between left and right wings never ended. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, left-wing guerrillas and right-wing paramilitary death squads engaged in a deadly spiral of political violence. On October 15, 1979, a group of moderate officers ousted the dictator Carlos Humberto Romero and formed the Revolutionary Government Junta (JRG). In January 1980, right-wing violence broke out against the JRG, including bombings against government newspapers, kidnappings and murder. All of the JRG’s civilian leaders resigned. At the same time, the U.S. State Department received warnings that right-wing death squads were allying with the military against the government”.
Women were involved in the war as guerilla fighters, activists, and post-war reconstruction. They were also heavily involved in NGOs. Some NGOs were women founded and led, such as COMADRES. Las COMADRES did not emerge from a feminist agenda but from the urgent pressures of stare oppression and political instability. As their husbands were killed, family members disappeared, or forced into hiding, many women suddenly became heads of household. In the countryside, women expanded their work for survival:
" In the countryside, women have increased their activities for self-sufficiency ... producing essential goods ... and, at the same time, seeking to increase income ( trying to sell more products, looking for work as domestic laborers " ( Cabrales 4)
Others joined migration movements in search of employment, often leaving their children behind simply to secure food and survive. These circumstances reveal the severe risks and daily struggles that pushed these women to resist political tyranny and ultimately fueled the formation of COMADRES.
These women became powerful advocates for human and gender rights under El Salvador's "hegemonic ideological environment", which the military and right-wing groups sought to suppress political dissent. The COMADRES were viewed as threats because they publicly announced disappearances, actively protested, and supported families of the disappeared. Scholars described a women's identity as politically charged. As mothers became involved in social and political activism, many women began to be perceived by military authorities as "subversive" . Military officials framed their participation as a deviation from traditional gender expectations, portraying their motherhood as "tainted" or compromised because they challenged dominant political ideologies and addressed broader social injustices. As a result, they were subjected to violence, sexual harassment, and intimidation, a strategy used by the military in broader counterinsurgency efforts aimed at restricting the COMADRES' participation in social change.
"Comite de Madres y Familiares de Presos, Desaparecidos y Asesinados Politicos de El Salvador" was known as 'CoMadres'. This organization was founded in 1977 and consisted of approximately nine members. This organization played an important role during the civil war. The committee was made up of mothers and family members of people who were imprisoned, disappeared, or killed for political reasons. The goal was to advocate for the rights and social justice of their loved ones while at the same time raising awareness about the human rights violations committed by both sides. The committee consisted of students, teachers, workers, peasants, housewives and small shopkeepers. In the first two years, COMADRES had no formal office and it wasn't until 1979 that they found a definite location where they established a governance structure to maintain and organize themselves. Their organizational structure was built off of 5 different committees: Publicity, Finances, Organizing, Exterior Political relations and a director with 5 representatives that work on daily planning. Their office holds assemblies throughout the week to determine policy decisions and create campaigns for international solidarity and transnational activism. Another accomplishment in 1979 for COMADRES was their first trip abroad to Costa Rica.