Bill proposes searching for and compensating victims of stolen babies

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The bill would recognize the right to truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition for victims of baby theft in Spain since July 17, 1936, and would make it easier to investigate. Victims would include people who were taken as babies and relatives up to the fourth degree, who could claim that status through a sworn statement with a plausible account, without needing proof.
2. Public authorities would have to search for children who may have been victims of abduction or forced disappearance, and private parties covered by the bill (hospitals, religious congregations, the Catholic Church, among others) would have three months to answer victims' requests.
3. Victims would have the right to access public and private archives and records, including cemetery books, adoption records and homes for unmarried mothers, and to learn their true identity, with free medical, legal and psychological assistance and mediation services for reunions.
4. The bill would create a State Database of Affected People under the direction of the Special Prosecutor's Office and a free, state-wide single DNA Bank, where victims who have filed a complaint could give samples without a court order, with analysis within three months.
5. It would create the State Commission for the Right to Identity, which would recognize victim status, plus a Special Prosecutor's Office on Stolen Babies and a specialized judicial police unit. The Government could approve extraordinary compensation by Royal Decree within six months.
6. The law would take effect the day after its publication in the official state gazette (BOE), but its financial obligations could not be enforced until the next General State Budget Law takes effect.

Who it affects

• People stolen as babies and their relatives up to the fourth degree: They would be recognized as victims, with rights to truth, identity, reparation and free support.
• Public administrations, hospitals and civil registries: They would have to search for those affected, preserve the archives and give access to documents.
• Private parties such as the Catholic Church, congregations and foundations: They would have to answer victims' requests within three months and preserve their archives.
• The Government: It could approve extraordinary compensation by Royal Decree and issue the implementing rules.

Words worth knowing

Declaración jurada (sworn statement)

A statement of facts made before the authority, promising to tell the truth, without needing to provide proof.

Lesa humanidad (crime against humanity)

Very serious crimes committed on a widespread or systematic basis against the population, such as murder or forced disappearance.

Cuarto grado (fourth degree of kinship)

Degree of family relationship: it includes, for example, first cousins and second uncles/aunts.

Fiscalía Especial (Special Prosecutor's Office)

A body of the Public Prosecutor's Office dedicated to one specific type of case, in this instance stolen babies.

Real Decreto (Royal Decree)

A rule approved by the Government, without going through Congress.

It summarizes the text as it was introduced. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries