Five chronic problems must be addressed by the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the World Report 2023 of Human Rights Watch, to protect human rights and democracy.
These refer to poverty, inequality, corruption, insecurity and environmental degradation.
Regarding Ecuador, the document maintains that overcrowding and a lack of state control in prisons have allowed gangs to recruit new members and murder more than 400 detainees since 2021.
In addition, the country experienced a significant increase in the number of homicides and in violence perpetrated by gangs.
“Our fight continues”: members of movements, neighborhood leaders, teachers and relatives of inmates murdered in prisons joined a meeting for human rights
The document on Ecuador is six pages long and addresses the conditions in detention centers and massacres, the use of force by members of the security forces, the rule of law and the fight against corruption, the rights of indigenous peoples, women’s rights , disability rights, children’s rights, sexual orientation and gender identity, refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants, freedom of expression, foreign policy.
Prison overcrowding, the report indicates, appears to be caused by the excessive use of pretrial detention, harsh drug policies, and delays in granting prison benefits.
Prison guides are not properly trained and are insufficient to contain the violence, he adds.
In November 2022, 1,360 prison officers graduated after a course that began last July. In Ecuador there are 36 detention centers. One of the new agents was murdered a few days ago, he had just gone to work in a prison in Manabí.
In the first half of 2023, 1,000 new agents would enter.
Eleven massacres have occurred in the country’s prisons since 2021, with a balance of at least 413 fatalities.
Regarding the fight against corruption, it maintains that although several reforms were implemented that improved the independence of key judicial institutions, reports of unjustified delays in the processes, lack of guarantees of due process and undue pressure on the justice system continued.
“Stigmatization, ill-treatment, fear of the possibility of facing criminal proceedings and the restrictive interpretation of the health exception continue to represent obstacles to access to abortion,” he points out.
Conscientious objection in cases of abortion due to rape was suspended by the Constitutional Court
Regarding sexual violence, the document mentions that it is an endemic problem in public and private educational institutions and that almost 30% of the more than 14,000 complaints occurred in schools.
Regarding sexual orientation, in the opinion of Human Rights Watch, the Constitution discriminates against same-sex couples by excluding them from access to adoption, and the Assembly has not complied with provisions of the Constitutional Court to review the provisions on civil marriage.
In reference to foreign policy, remember that Ecuador signed a declaration by which it assumed the commitment to strengthen and expand the channels for safe and legal migration, as well as for asylum.
The chronic failures to face these problems have been used by some politicians to justify policies that restrict or violate human rights and have driven millions of people in the Americas to leave their homes in search of security and opportunities abroad, the document refers, in conclusion. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
