The government of Spain will formally pardon 53 women who were imprisoned as teenagers during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. The women were among thousands detained by the Board for the Protection of Women, institutions run largely by religious orders that targeted girls considered morally "at risk."
The board, overseen by Carmen Polo, expanded its role after the Spanish Civil War to police behaviour that deviated from strict Catholic norms. Girls could be confined for reasons such as suspected homosexuality or behaviour deemed inappropriate, and the system remained in place until 1985, a decade after Franco's death.
As reported by eldiario.es, at a ceremony next week, the government will recognise the 53 survivors as victims of Francoist repression and declare any punishments against them null and void.
Authorities investigating the system have already received more than 1,600 testimonies from women who passed through the institutions, though some victims' groups say a pardon alone is not enough and are calling for fuller recognition, justice and reparations.