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Traumatic acts of violence can also cause feelings of fury. The search for
justice plays the social role of channeling this fury, of doing something
constructive with it.
Another aspect has to do with “confronting” the traumatic events, as it is
called. Impunity blocks the more adaptive ways of confronting them. In
terms of the grieving process, impunity accentuates the traumatic event.
Impunity is also a process; it is not a single traumatic event, but rather many
experiences in addition to the impact of the traumatic event itself. And even
though people develop many forms of resistance, traumatic experiences are
cumulative in their effects.
To complete grieving processes for the forced disappearance of a next of kin,
one must address a number of factors or tasks, such as accepting that the
loss is definitive, which has to do with obtaining information on what
happened and finding the remains; public acknowledgment of the facts as a
social expression that what happened was unfair; the possibility of expressing
oneself regarding the loss; receiving redress; and developing forms of
positive remembrance of the victim.
The REMHI Report reached the conclusion that what happened in the case of
Molina Theissen sought to harm the family and it took place in a context of
harassment, as a permanent torture technique, associated with punishment
due to the prior capture and detention of Emma Guadalupe, Marco Antonio’s
sister.
The Molina Theissen family’s life aspirations were affected in several ways.
Since disappearance is, in terms of grieving, an experience that freezes one in
the past, one that is an impediment to obtaining information and to moving
forward in time, there is an aspect of family dynamics that remains there, in
what happened, and this restricts the family’s development opportunities. In
cases of forced disappearance and traumatic acts of violence, the family’s
various shared expectations change, as do the dreams of family life, their
resources, the role played by the missing person, and this alters the family’s
life aspirations. Furthermore, the family’s ability to support each other
diminishes, as in most cases it is difficult to talk about the traumatic event
and each family member’s ways of handling the situation and the rate of their
grieving processes are different. All these aspects show how impunity affects
them, personally blocking or disrupting the family’s life aspirations or those of
the persons affected.
g)
Expert opinion of Alicia Neuburger, a psychologist.
She interviewed Emma Theissen Vda. de Molina, her three daughters, the
grandchildren, and the husband of Ana Lucrecia Molina Theissen. The
methodology she used was based on open or semi-structured individual,
family and group interviews.
Learning the truth is crucial for this family’s health and recovery. With
respect to guarantees of non-recidivism, it would be important to establish
the Missing Children’s Hall in Guatemala, as well as a memorial monument,
not only for the Molina Theissen family but also for the hundreds of
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