Putting the system into operation: the impact and relevance of the Movimiento del Dolor (THESIS VERSION)

Abstract

The phrase “winning small battles, losing the war” symbolically reflects the argument in this chapter. It points to the impact and relevance of the denunciation approach, as well as the achievements that can be attributed to this approach. The Movimiento del Dolor believes that taking to the streets in order to exercise control over the work of the institutions that are responsible for dealing with their case is necessary to make “the system” work. After all, in many cases “the system” does not work on its own but needs to be jolted into activity by an external stimulus: by the social pressure of demonstrations of aggrieved citizens, for instance. By employing the denunciation approach, the Movimiento del Dolor has succeeded in gathering pieces of information and evidence that have helped the family members understand what has happened to their relative who died at the hands of the police. Furthermore, as we have seen in this chapter, in Buenos Aires the impact of a private prosecutor and demonstrations to demand justice in cases of police violence is significant: it increases the probability of the conviction of the responsible police officers by 34%, to 41% (Brinks 2005).