The use of ovens to “dispose” of bodies is a recurrent theme in the interviews my colleagues and I have conducted over the years. However, there is another theme I insist we address: military bases such as Los Cabitos were also sites of sexualized forms of torture. The use of sexual violence against women, and men, needs to be part of the national dialogue. At present, the trials against former military officials focus on massacres, torture, forced disappearances. I am constantly told that rape and other forms of sexual violence do not figure in to the charges because of evidentiary problems. This is one of the pressing legal issues: how can we make these violations visible without doubly victimizing the women and men by forcing them to speak?
The use of ovens to “dispose” of bodies is a recurrent theme in the interviews my colleagues and I have conducted over the years. However, there is another theme I insist we address: military bases such as Los Cabitos were also sites of sexualized forms of torture. The use of sexual violence against women, and men, needs to be part of the national dialogue. At present, the trials against former military officials focus on massacres, torture, forced disappearances. I am constantly told that rape and other forms of sexual violence do not figure in to the charges because of evidentiary problems. This is one of the pressing legal issues: how can we make these violations visible without doubly victimizing the women and men by forcing them to speak?