UNICEF also noted that there has been an increase in forced recruitment of adolescents in Ecuador by organized crime.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported a “drastic” increase in the homicide rate of children and adolescents in Ecuador, at a time when the authorities have decreed an “internal armed conflict” to confront the wave of violence generated by organized crime.
Through a report released in New York and Panama, this Monday, January 15, the United Nations agency said that, according to the latest estimates from the Ministry of the Interior of Ecuador, at least 770 homicides of children and adolescents were registered in the country in 2023, an increase of 640 percent compared to the 104 cases recorded in 2019.
The alarming increase in deaths from armed violence, according to UNICEF, continues to severely impact the lives of children in Ecuador, whose government declared a state of emergency last week and decreed that it was entering a level of armed conflict with organized crime gangs and drug trafficking.
“In recent months, the deaths of children and adolescents have increased drastically due to a dramatic increase in crime in various parts of Ecuador. An increase (in) forced recruitment of adolescents by armed groups is also reported, and medical facilities and schools are under siege,” said Garry Conille, UNICEF regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean.
The agency noted that, in addition to the situation of children, “the growing number of medical personnel, teachers and school directors threatened, extorted and murdered by armed groups is of concern.” He said that the security crisis has led to the temporary closure of schools throughout the country, depriving more than 4.3 million children of adequate educational services.
A week after a new escalation of violence – which included the unprecedented assault of a television channel that was broadcasting live by a group of armed hooded men – classes in the country’s schools remained virtual, while the country tried to return to activities.
Last week, the government declared an “internal armed conflict” in Ecuador and classified 22 criminal gangs as “terrorists,” now converted into “military targets.”
TYT Newsroom
