ABSTRACT
The National Commission on the Disappearance of People, created in 1984 by newly elected President Alfonsin, and the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, a human rights organization, asked the Human Rights and Science program at the American Association for the Advancement of Science for assistance. Societies emerging from periods of political violence characterized by gross violations of human rights and humanitarian law face the difficult task of confronting their pasts while working to prevent reoccurrences of such abuses. The formation of Latin American Forensic Anthropology Association, in short, provides a space for engagement in academic and other kinds of debates that previously have been unavailable to us because our resources have been directed primarily toward immediate human rights crises and inquiries around the world. A significant percentage of this international work has been to assist in forming national teams in Guatemala, Chile, and Colombia, among other countries.
