Alicia Moreau de Justo

Alicia Moreau de Justo (born October 11 1885 in London – died May 12 1986) was an Argentine physician, politician, pacifist and human rights activist.

Born to French parents in London, United Kingdom, the Moreau family moved to Argentina while Alicia was still a child. There she studied both for school teacher first, and then became the fourth woman to graduate as physicist in the country.

She started her political activity in 1906 during the International Congress of Free Thought. She acquired connections in the Socialist Party, and worked as a collaborator at the International Socialist Magazine.

In 1910 she was part of the foundation of the Ateneo Popular association of high-school and university extension, and became its general secretary. Her political activity continued with the claims for working days of 8 hours. That same year she also participated in the organization of the First International Feminine Congress, and in 1911 initiated a campaign for the creation of schools for immigrants. In 1918 she founded the National Feminine Union.

Alicia Moreau married Juan B. Justo in 1922, with whom she was to have 3 children, adding to her surname 'de Justo'. In 1925 the work regulations for women and children were dictated, as well as the civil rights of the woman in 1926.

She then focused in incrementing the political participation of women in politics creating feminine gatherings within the socialist centres. In 1945 she published the book "The woman within democracy" (La Mujer en la Democracia), in which she exposed the struggle of the Argentine women to obtain the right of vote.

In 1956 she was named director of the magazine La Vanguardia, after an internal reorganisation. Two years later the Socialist Party divided into the Partido Socialista Democrático, and the Partido Socialista Argentino, of which she was still the general secretary.

She was a firm supporter of different events related to human rights; she collaborated with the Madres de Plaza de Mayo, and was part of the reception committee during the visit to Argentina in 1980 of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States, reporting the Dirty War crimes of the military government.

The main street of the Puerto Madero neighbourhood in Buenos Aires is named after her.