Human Rights in Chile: Remeberance and Reckoning

When Chile opened up to democracy in 1989, the society began to confront their past and the crisis that had occurred with a military dictatorship and years of existence in an atmosphere of political repression and human rights abuses. The moves and gains in the area of human rights have built up slowly and have occurred with the stability of democracy and international involvement to confront the full situation. As human rights activists and mental health workers have known for years, the process includes the ability to reckon with what did happen and understand the full extent of the tragedy. Activism on the international level has been incredibly important in addressing the issue of international law and bringing the case to a global level. The thawing of the Cold War has made it possible to review actions of various governments with regard to a domestic situation in Chile. Although human rights do not yet know all of the information pertaining to what happened in Chile, this has not prevented action in political arenas to try and research and enforce international law.

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