Children dressed in rags and unaccompanied by an adult were picked up by plain-clothed police. They were found in downtown Santiago, the central market and from under bridges.

There were also girls, but not many. Usually only when both parents were 'missing'. After the military junta came into power, and food was no longer rationed and subsidized, it were the boys who were told by impoverished parents to take care of themselves.

People looked but never intervened.

A plain-clothed policeman holds a homeless boy by the arm, walking along a street with trucks and cars loaded with burlap sacks and wooden crates in the background, under a clear sky. | Chas Gerretsen

Window shopping for clothes they could never afford. Not paying attention on who stood behind them.

Caught by the police looking for homeless children.

A shoe shine boy caught in the central market.

Some of the boys were helping their parents survive. They were released after having been checked in a home. (Orphanage)

Most of the homeless children were found in the central market, where they could find work, food or a place to sleep. Although you could also find them under the bridges crossing the Mapocho River.

A black and white photo of a plain-clothed police man in a suit and sunglasses holding a young boy in a light-colored outfit, by the hand. Other children and vehicles in the background. | Chas Gerretsen

Frightened. What will happen to me? All kind of stories were going around. None of them good.

Black-and-white photo of three people walking on a city sidewalk, two plain-clothed policemen in suits and a crying boy in casual clothes, with buildings and streetcars in the background. | Chas Gerretsen

A plain-clothed policeman and a young boy holding hands in a busy outdoor market with stalls and buildings in the background, black and white photograph. | Chas Gerretsen

A plain-clothed policeman helping a young boy into a vehicle on a busy street with pedestrians and storefronts in the background. | Chas Gerretsen

A plain-clothed policeman with dark, wavy hair wearing a checkered blazer and a white shirt has his arm around a young boy with short dark hair, who is squinting. They are outdoors on a sunny street with cars and people in the background.

Black and white photo of a busy street scene with several people walking, including a plain-clothed policeman in a suit and a young boy in the foreground, with shops and trucks visible in the background. | Chas Gerretsen

Anxious faces.

A group of young homeless boys inside a bus, with a plain-clothed policeman in a suit sitting on the left, writing down the names of the boys, some of whom are sitting and others are standing behind him. | Chas Gerretsen

The opening of a very special orphanage.

This was a special orphanage: the former home of the secretary of President Allende.

With music...

Orphaned boys at a social gathering, with some listening to a harpist and others drinking and talking. | Chas Gerretsen

...and icecream.

Ice cream and a bullet hole. Special clothes for a special occasion for those who'd behaved exemplary.

Frightened, not knowing what would happen to them, they were checked in.

Fear of the unknown.

Two orphan boys standing in front of a seated woman looking at documents, with a group of people in the background near a staircase and large windows. | Chas Gerretsen

And officials of the different branches of police involved.

Black and white photo of four women in military uniform, standing in a row during a public event, with a crowd in the background. | Chas Gerretsen

A group of orphaned children and teenagers walking outdoors in a park, with a boy in the foreground smiling at the camera. | Chas Gerretsen

Each received a little Omo washing powder.

Several orphan boys stand in a row, each washing their hands at a series of water faucets attached to a wall, with other children visible in the background. | Chas Gerretsen

First they had to wash.

Four orphan children, two boys and two girls, smiling and making salutes with their hands on their foreheads, standing outdoors against a wall. | Chas Gerretsen

And a haircut.

A young orphan boy with wet hair is getting a haircut using electric clippers, with a focused expression. | Chas Gerretsen

A policeman in a uniform with military standing next to two young orphan boys sitting at a table with bowls and spoons, during a meal time. | Chas Gerretsen

And food...Three times a day!

Orphan children at a table sharing food in a dining setting, with one child serving food to others and smiling. | Chas Gerretsen

Orphan children sitting around a table with bowls and cups, most of them eating or drinking, in a room with wooden paneling. | Chas Gerretsen

Black and white photo of a group of orphan children sitting at a table with bowls of soup, some children are looking at the camera while others are eating. | Chas Gerretsen

A large group of orphan boys seated at tables in a school cafeteria, eating. The room has high ceilings, large windows, and brick walls. | Chas Gerretsen

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad?

A young orphan boy with dark hair and large eyes sitting at a table with a bowl of food, holding a spoon, in a black and white photo. | Chas Gerretsen

A young orphan boy with short dark hair eats a slice of pizza with a fork. | Chas Gerretsen

The fear gone. Life for many had become better. But, for others it became worse: sexual and physical abuse followed.

They formed a group and wanted to be photographed.

Two young orphan boys smiling, standing close together outdoors in bright sunlight, with wet hair, wearing casual clothing. | Chas Gerretsen

There were possibilities to learn a trade.

The Orphans of Santiago

CHAS GERRETSEN