Uncovering institutional child abuse in Francoist Barcelona: A crucial first step toward proper reparation for victims of “total child victimization”

Institutional child victimization is a phenomenon that has received uneven attention from both academia and society. The obstacles encountered by numerous victims in voicing their experiences and seeking recognition suggest the concealment of multiple narratives. Spain is one such case of so-called “historical (or non-recent) institutional child victimization.” During the period known as the “Second Francoism” (1960 to 1975) in Spain, motherhood was perceived as an essential attribute of femininity, leading to a focused control over women and children, a feat that would not have been possible without the systematic collaboration of influential entities, including the Catholic Church and state apparatuses, particularly institutions functioning similarly to prisons and managed by religious orders where the ostensible aims of charity were overshadowed by this repressive agenda. In this study, we explore the experiences of children residents in institutions during the first decade of Second Francoism (1960–1970), thus uncovering the victimization endured by the participants. We have found that the effects of this victimization persist to this day, underscoring the need to characterize its distinctive features within the framework of institutional child victimization. We propose the term “total child victimization” to encapsulate these unique aspects. Such characterization is a crucial first step toward further action, as only by accurately identifying victims’ experiences within their specific contextual framework can we develop reparation schemes that genuinely address their needs.