Chile probes decades-long illegal adoption network

At least 20,000 children were given up for adoption irregularly or abducted during the regime of Augusto Pinochet in Chile, according to recent calculations.

The problem of unlawful adoptions has resurfaced on both public discussion platforms and within the courts because two major developments have drawn attention. One is a historic prosecution that targets networks that operated under the dictatorship, and the other is new evidence showing that similar schemes persisted after democracy was restored.

Investigations and Prosecutions

The Chilean justice system has processed over 1,300 cases linked to these abductions and irregularities.

This marks the first occasion on which a Chilean court has been able to demonstrate, through judicial procedures, that an organized network of abduction existed. The network included doctors, social workers, religious figures and judges.

In a further step, the same judicial authority asked Israel to extradite a former Chilean juvenile judge who had taken part in the scheme.

Scope of the Scandal

The scandals of irregular adoptions and child abductions in Chile describe a grim plot that stretched from the military dictatorship (1973-1990) into later democratic eras.

High-impact reports, such as the one aired by TVN’s Special Report in October 2026, revealed that irregular adoptions continued in the democracy in a sustained manner between the 1990s and the 2020s.

The operation focused on mothers who had few economic resources or who were single parents. These women were misled into thinking their newborns had died, or they were pressured to relinquish their babies.

Children were then moved through covert channels to families overseas, especially in Italy and the United States, where adopters paid sums that could reach up to 50,000 dollars.

Non-profit groups such as the Nos Buscamos NGO, founded by Constanza del Río, have kept the issue alive by handling thousands of inquiries from people adopted abroad who are trying to trace their origins.

Because ancestral DNA testing has become widespread, hundreds of young adults raised in Europe or North America have learned in recent months that their adoptions were illegal. Their Chilean biological mothers continue to search for them, prompting action from both Chilean and international authorities.

Organizations like Hijos y Madres del Silencio and Connecting Roots now offer assistance to victims of irregular adoptions. They manage DNA banks, provide legal counsel, and help families reconnect.