Marina Freixa learned of her family’s troubled history during a Christmas gathering almost a decade ago. As her mother, Mariona Roca Tort, opened up about her childhood, Marina discovered details about Mariona’s experience under Spain’s Franco dictatorship. At 17, Mariona was reported to the authorities by her parents and placed in a reformatory, part of a system that detained young women who defied the regime’s strict Catholic values.
During the Franco era, women could be interned for a range of reasons, including being single mothers or perceived as ‘fallen’ by society. This revelation shocked Marina and her cousins, who could not fathom why their grandparents would have made such a choice. Mariona has since described how the reformatory minimized communication among the girls, preventing them from forming supportive bonds.
With Franco’s death approaching 50 years ago, Spain has witnessed significant progress in women’s rights, yet survivors of such institutions still seek acknowledgment and justice. Mariona’s experiences reflect the harsh realities faced by many women during this period, as evidenced by her being institutionalized in a convent run under the Ministry of Justice’s Patronato de Protección a la Mujer.
Marina has created a documentary titled Els Buits, which showcases her mother’s story and has sparked discussions around this chapter of Spanish history. The film has received accolades and raised awareness about women who endured similar fates. Spanish officials, including the Minister for Democratic Memory, have shown interest in recognizing these women’s experiences as part of the larger narrative of the dictatorship. Both Marina and Mariona are engaging communities through screenings, inviting others to share their stories and acknowledging the systemic nature of such abuses in their past.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr43vx0rrwvo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss