13 WHAT IS STRATEGIC LITIGATION? PRACTICE NOTE 5 STRATEGIC LITIGATION OF ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES IN AFRICA • Capacity Building for Judges and Lawyers. Raising awareness and building the capacity of the lawyers on international human rights law is essential to increase the understanding of the law, build up a meaningful body of experts to litigate human rights cases and obtain better outcomes for clients. Case study: Mothers of Plaza de Mayo (Argentina) Facts. During the “Dirty War” in Argentina (1976-1983), the military government disappeared, tortured and killed anyone they saw as “subversives”, including political opponents of the regime. Many of the dissenters were students and young people, who turned into the main target of enforced disappearances. As a reaction to the disappearance of their children, in 1977 a group of mothers began to meet each Thursday in the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, the site of Argentina´s government. They requested access to their children and their freedom. The meeting of the mothers was the first public condemnation of the disappearances committed by the regime. Over time, the group of mothers grew despite their different backgrounds. In their weekly demonstrations they carried photos of their disappeared children. Later they wore white scarves on their heads, symbolising peace. Impact. Through their activism, the mothers drew awareness and significant national and international attention to the practice of enforced disappearance in Argentina. Their activism triggered the involvement of foreign governments, as well as international human rights groups and bodies, including the United Nations. That triggered the documentation and investigation of individual cases. Since then, the Madres de Plaza de Mayo remain a driving force against impunity for crimes committed by the military regime, in the efforts to locate the remains of their disappeared children, and in finding their grandchildren born in captivity. Their movement has become a symbol in the fight against enforced disappearances worldwide.