My mum was a 17-year-old free spirit – so she was locked up and put in a coma
6 days ago
- #historical abuse
- #Franco regime
- #women's rights
- Marina Freixa's mother, Mariona Roca Tort, was locked up in a reformatory at 17 under Spain's Franco regime for refusing to conform to Catholic values.
- Reformatories detained girls deemed 'fallen women,' including single mothers, lesbians, and victims of sexual assault.
- Mariona was subjected to forced psychiatric treatments, including insulin coma therapy, which damaged her memory.
- She escaped briefly but was recaptured and returned to the convent, where she was isolated and psychologically broken.
- Mariona's parents, ultra-Catholic and conservative, reported her to authorities for rebellious behavior, leading to her detention.
- After Franco's death in 1975, Mariona rebuilt her life but had a strained relationship with her parents.
- Marina made a documentary, 'Els Buits,' about her mother's ordeal, sparking calls for recognition of Patronato survivors as dictatorship victims.
- The film has raised awareness about the systemic abuse of women under Franco's regime.