Giovanna Perez disappeared on December 4, 2010, Juliana Campoverde disappeared on July 7, 2012 and was murdered by the evangelical pastor Jonathan Carrillo, from michelle montenegro no more was heard from June 5, 2018, Natalia Rise He also disappeared on September 15, 2018 and part of his remains were found in a creek.
Their stories, as well as the relentless struggle of their relatives to find them and that justice be doneare included in the documentary ‘Absences’, made by the Spanish documentary filmmaker Luis Cintora, in collaboration with the Contrapique collective, the Committee to Fight Violence, Disappearances and Femicides (Covidefem) and Luna Roja.
The audiovisual production was screened in Quito, on March 25, in the museum of the Central University of Ecuador, where there was also a photographic exhibition of the mobilizations and sit-ins that for years have been carried out by relatives and friends of the victims of different cases on a national scale.
The relatives of the four women who star in the documentary denounced indolence, slowness and inefficiency in the judicial system from the country.
“They always run a biased and prejudiced investigation. When a complaint is made, they tell you that if you are a woman, you must have left with your boyfriend… or that you must return after nine months with a child; if he is a man they say he must be drunk or high on drugs. We are fighting against the negligence of people who do not want to do their job, we have desk investigators and prosecutors, “claimed Fernando Montenegro, Michelle’s father.
Relatives of Michelle Montenegro request information about her search
Fernando Montenegro pointed out that investigations are not progressing and they focus on a possible suicide, which he rejects, since -he assures- the Police have not followed the trail of important clues. He criticized that the version of the last taxi driver who saw her alive has not been thoroughly investigated and would have stated that he left Michelle in a sector of Sangolquí. “We check the security cameras and the taxi never arrives,” said Montenegro.
Giovanna Pérez’s mother, Yanera Constante, recalled that given the negligence with which the system has handled her daughter’s case, in September 2018 they filed a complaint against the Ecuadorian State before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). The agency admitted the complaint for processing in May 2020.
Ambato family has been looking for an answer for the disappearance of a university student for 11 years
“Here in Ecuador there is no justice. Here everything is covered between them. We have resorted to these international instances so that the State responds and a precedent is created,” Constante reproached and pointed out that, among other anomalies, the first prosecutor who was in charge of the investigation leaked information about the proceedings to the family of the last man with the that Giovanna had contact. During these twelve years the subject has not appeared before the Prosecutor’s Office and his location is unknown, Constante said.
Elizabeth Rodriguez, mother of Juliana Campoverdecriticized that the case of his daughter’s disappearance went through 10 prosecutors and, although the Justice condemned the evangelical pastor for kidnapping for ransom resulting in death, So far, the remains of the victim have not been found.
“It is 3,543 days that I am without my daughter. After a tireless fight, a guilty party was sentenced, but due to the negligence of the 10 prosecutors who handled the case the accomplices and accessories were not linked to due process. The reparation measures that were ordered by the Court have not yet been complied with, especially the searches for my daughter. We are still waiting for the State to respond,” Rodríguez emphasized.
After sentencing an evangelical pastor, parents of Juliana Campoverde focus on finding her body
Isis Subía, sister of Natalia Rise, claimed that many cases of disappearances of women the line of investigation begins with the fact that it is a voluntary absence. He denounced that the treatment received by relatives by justice operators is usually loaded with “stereotypes and judgments.”
“Natalia was happy, she didn’t have to disappear. My sister had many projects…Isis said through tears. “We ask the State not to close the cases until there is a culprit behind bars. But more than that, we demand that women stop disappearing, also older adults and children, because it is a problem that is becoming normalized in society and nothing is being done,” Subía commented.
In Quito, the family of a teacher who disappeared in 2018 is waiting for six bone remains found to be analyzed
For the film’s director, Luis Cintora, audiovisual work joins the fight for truth and justice. In addition, it seeks to awaken the interest and empathy of citizens in the issue of disappearances.
The organizations promoting the documentary plan to make a new screening of ‘Ausencias’ in Ambato, in mid-April. Later, they will spread the material for free through social networks.
According to figures from the Ministry of Government, only in January 2022 598 reports of missing persons were registered, of which 511 have been located, while 87 are still under investigation.
Of the 87 people who have not yet been found, women comprise 62.1% of cases, according to official statistics. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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