Libidinous and womanizers. (Im)possibilities of listening to accounts of sexual violence suffered in clandestine detention centers during the last military dictatorship in Argentina

Abstract

During Argentina's last military dictatorship, the concentration camp experience had strong gender implications for female detainees who disappeared. In recent years, testimonies about sexual violence in clandestine detention centers have slowly begun to emerge. However, many of these accounts are not new.

As part of an investigation into the trajectory, over time, of testimonies about sexual violence in captivity, this paper will focus on how these testimonies were received during the years of the dictatorship, particularly the complaints made to the Argentine Commission for Human Rights (CADHU). What impact did these accounts have on the reporting of dictatorial crimes? How were they received and processed? Did these women find social frameworks that enabled attentive listening to the experiences they narrated and allowed them to be considered in their specific gender dimension?