Nora Cortinas has been fighting for justice for the past forty years; she has dedicated her entire life to the quest for justice ever since her search for her son began. Her son Carlos Gustavo Cortinas was a part of the Paronist Party and worked for the National Institute of Statistics and Census of Argentina. In the year 1977, he was abducted by the armed forces after which he disappeared. This incident proved to be a major turning point in the life of this lady, who decided to dedicate her life to find for justice and get her son back. Initially, it was all about bringing her son back and finding his whereabouts. But, gradually it became a more significant movement. Over the years, Nora became one of the most prominent faces of global human rights movements.
Initially, Nora was a simple housewife, and her world was confined to teaching, sewing as she also worked as a dressmaker. For forty long years, this was all Nora had to do. But by the time Argentina’s military coup ended, her son was one of the people who disappeared. Around 30, 000 people disappeared after Argentina's invasion. Nora said, "No one had the slightest idea regarding who took him away, what exactly happened to him, where he went."
However, she was not alone in this journey; there were hundreds of other mothers who were in search of their sons and had no idea where they had gone. This search for their children who had been abducted and tortured brought these mothers together and led to the formation of Plaza De Mayo. This organization raised their voice against the military junta. For weeks, these mothers stood before the presidential palace and demanded information regarding their sons and daughters.
This was the beginning of Nora’s work for justice and her fight for the right to get information about the people who went missing during the military coup. The people who were considered as 'missing' were the ones kidnapped, but what exactly happened to them was not known even then and is still unknown. But, this was where Nora’s journey began, the journey of an activist who dedicated her life to the fight for justice. It was a personal tragedy that directed her on this path and created one of the most prominent faces who has been fighting for human rights.
