Constanza del Río , founder of the organization Nos Buscamos , is working to reconnect families separated by illegal adoptions during Chile's Pinochet dictatorship. She was one of the 65,000 Chilean children taken from their biological families, and now she's using DNA technology to reunite families. Ashoka’s Marie Ringler sat down with Constanza to learn more.

Marie Ringler: Constanza, tell us how you came to work in this field.

Constanza del Río: My journey started when I discovered as an adult that I was one of the many children taken from their biological families and placed into adoption under fraudulent circumstances. This revelation changed my life and led me to uncover more about this problem. I set up Nos Buscamos – which means “We are looking for each other” – to reunite families and push for reforms.

Ringler: What's the scale of this problem in Chile?

Del Río: The estimated number of children taken illegally has been rising as our national police investigate further. First they said 10,000, then 25,000, and now they're estimating 65,000 children. It's shocking, especially as Chile is a small country of just 18 million people.

Ringler: How did this systematic theft of children happen?

Del Río: We discovered that Pinochet and the Minister of Justice, his cousin, created a plan to take poor children out of the country. They were trying to remove the risk of possible future communists who could oppose the government. It was a systematic action against poor women in the poorest areas of Chile. The Mapuche people, our Indigenous people, were most affected. Children were taken by tricking mothers, who were told their baby had died during childbirth. In other cases, women were forced to give their babies up for adoption and threatened by the police that if they didn’t, they would be jailed. These women had no networks, no money, no way to defend themselves.

Ringler: And what happened to the children?

Del Río: Ninety percent were adopted outside the country with official documentation like passports. The adoptive parents thought it was completely legal. So they were victims too — tricked and unaware they were taking a child from another mother, another parent.

Ringler: You and your colleagues are working to reunite these families today. How are you going about this?

Del Río: We're tracking people using DNA, an online database, and volunteers across Chile, Europe, the United States, Australia and more than 20 other countries. DNA testing is our most crucial tool—something unavailable 15 years ago when I began this work. We've partnered with MyHeritage DNA Bank for free tests for Chilean mothers. But adoptees don't return to Chile because they don't speak the language, and unfortunately, justice moves slowly here. It could take 20 years to resolve these cases, by which time many biological mothers will have died, so we must act now if we hope to reunite families and help people heal. We've created a nine-step protocol on our website for any Chilean-born adoptee to follow. It’s really easy to get started.

Ringler: What impact did this have on communities?

Del Rio: It’s hard for everyone to believe this happened, to assimilate this new information about their past. It can feel like a movie, surreal. Just last Saturday, I connected a mother from Temuco, the city of the Mapuche people, with her daughter in France. The mother insisted, "I lost a baby boy back then. What are you talking about?" I explained, "No, you lost a baby girl. But she’s alive. She's 35, lives in France, and has been looking for you for ten years." We found the mother and brother, creating a beautiful reunification. We can't change the past, but we can change the present and future for families and communities.

Ringler: What policy changes are you driving?

Del Río: We're close to changing two laws. The most important one is adding to Chile's legal process that selling children for adoption is a felony. It's 2026, and while everyone understands that stealing children without a mother’s consent is wrong, there's still no law against it.

Ringler: Beyond reuniting families, what fundamental right are you fighting for?

Del Río: The right of every person, every child, to know their own story, origins, roots, and family. It’s not just about finding your mother or brother — it’s about reconnecting to your country. We’re talking about people stolen from Chile and sent to another continent with a completely different culture, language, and food. Many have struggled throughout their lives to feel that they belong, and many have suffered. The child’s right to know her own identity and history should be guaranteed, but for adoptees under these circumstances or trafficking victims, that right is erased.

Even today, we need to stop treating children as objects. Don’t change a child’s identity under the guise of charity like, "We’re saving poor people from a war-torn country." If you adopt, don't change their identity — they already have a name, history, nationality.

Ringler: How are you and Nos Buscamos working to end child trafficking globally?

Del Río: Our work in Chile shows that justice and recognition are possible. Our methodology combines DNA testing, digital platforms, investigation, journalism, and now AI, and can be applied globally. Every conflict creates child trafficking because children are easily victimized. This continues happening and unfortunately will persist. But combining new technologies with communities of survivors and others who care can make a difference.

Ringler: As this story becomes more known, what is your community asking of the Chilean government?

Del Río: We want the president and state to recognize this as a human rights violation. Without recognition, there can be no new policies or solutions. Those trafficked away from Chile have two identities, names, and nationalities, creating legal complications. We need Chilean policy to fix this; we need presidential recognition of the human rights violation. We’re empowering others to work toward this goal, giving voice to surviving mothers and to young advocates. This isn’t about Nos Buscamos — it’s about the survivors of child trafficking.

Constanza del Rio is an Ashoka Fellow and the founder of Santiago, Chile-based Nos Buscamos.

Marie Ringler is a member of Ashoka’s global leadership group.

This interview was condensed for length and clarity.