MORE than 50 women locked away for being ‘rebellious’ or spending too much time outside by Francisco Franco’s wife are set to receive an official pardon from the Spanish government.
The recognition will take place during a ceremony in Madrid on March 20, where the women will receive official documents from the Ministry of Democratic Memory acknowledging them as victims of Francoist repression.
The women had been confined in institutions run by the Board for the Protection of Women, a network of reform centres largely managed by Catholic religious orders.
The system was overseen by Carmen Polo, the wife of dictator Francisco Franco, and targeted girls considered ‘fallen’ or ‘in danger of falling’.
Many were detained for reasons as minor as being ‘too fond of the street’, spending time away from home, or discussing sexuality.
The board had originally been created in 1902 to combat prostitution, but its powers expanded dramatically after the Spanish Civil War ended in 1939.
By 1941, the institutions were widely used to enforce strict moral rules imposed by the Franco regime and the Catholic Church.
Teenage girls and young women could be detained for years for behaviour authorities believed deviated from the standards of a “proper” woman.
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The system continued operating until 1985, a decade after Franco’s death.
Under the government’s decision, any administrative or legal punishments imposed on the 53 women will now be declared null and void.
Officials say the penalties were the result of political, ideological and gender-based repression.
More than 1,600 testimonies from women who passed through the institutions have already been submitted to the government department investigating the system.
While the pardon recognises the women as victims, some survivors say symbolic recognition alone is not enough, calling for further truth, justice and reparations for the thousands affected.
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