View of the La Escombrera, a dumb-yard and where it´s believe many of the disappeared are buried. Enforced disappearance has been one of the practices for repression more use in the Latin American continent. The informe nacional de memoria historical from 2016 states that there are today at least 60.000 Colombians missing, enforced disappearance crimes made by different armed groups
During one of the many complex episodes of the Colombian armed conflict, the Colombian State with a presumed complicity from paramilitary groups, displaced the guerrilla from popular neighbourhood in different cities, thus seizing there areas and committing innumerable crimes.
Margarita searches for her daughter.
In 2002 La Operación Orión and Mariscal happened under the then called ¨Laboratory for peace ¨, ¨cleaning up¨ in this way one of the areas in the East of Medellin, in La Comuna 13, disappearing undetermined numbers of civilians.
Luz Angela searches for her husband.
¨During the Orión times, the majority of the disappeared were buried here, in La Escombrera, and the majority of the neighbourhood saw our dead being dragged up here. They say that some of them had to dig their own grave ¨ says Luz Elena Galeano.
Gloria searches for her son.
In June 2015, the city government promised to look for more than the 100 missing who are estimated to be buried in La Escombrera.The search was only done in a small area and it was determined only by the testament of one offender. After 6 months of the search, nothing was found, due to the change of a the city government, but it was´t a surprise for anyone.
The greatest majority of La Escombrera is still active, burying even more the possibility to find the missing bodies.
Lucila searches for her son.
¨It´s not easy to face what we have lived, much less the fear, which still somehow forms part of our history, but that same pain pushes us to find our relatives ¨ Says Angela. La Escombrera is a clear example of the impunity present even today, and the consequences of forced disappearance. Groups like Mujeres Caminando por la Verdad keep searching despite the fear, and the frustration they find in the way.