During the Spanish Civil War and Francoist Spain, thousands of newborns and young children were taken from their parents and brought to new families or orphanages. The aim was to prevent these children, now commonly known as niños robados, from being raised by parents whose political stance did not match the state ideology. Even after Franco died in 1975 the practice continued into the 1980s – it had become a lucrative business for those involved, namely doctors, officials, the Catholic Church and many more.

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