Abstract

On March 11, 1990, a democratically elected president, Patricio Aylwin, took office in Chile after a 17-year civil-military dictatorship. President Aylwin’s government sought to investigate and establish the truth regarding human rights violations committed by the previous dictatorship, recognizing and providing reparations to victims, including healthcare, pensions, and symbolic reparations. The political and personal consequences of human rights violations became the greatest obstacle to political reconciliation and social peace. Victims’ organizations demanded effective legal sanctions nationally and internationally, filing hundreds of criminal complaints and lawsuits against those responsible, with a majority filed against general Augusto Pinochet, former head of civil-military dictatorship. Based on documentation gathered at the Interdisciplinary Research Program in Memory and Human Rights at the Alberto Hurtado University, this chapter analyzes the interdependence and complementarity nature of Chile’s reparation policies with psychological and psychosocial interventions seeking to alleviate and repair the wrongs experienced by the victims, recognizing the socio-political origin of their suffering. The chapter further highlights the healing effects of condemnation and judicial processes despite their limitations, particularly if these processes are accompanied by social recognition of the dignity of victims.