Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights for the UN, Olivier De Schutter, has recently identified poverty as the underlying factor driving violence and instability in Ecuador. Following a two-week visit, De Schutter implored the nation’s leaders to ramp up their fight against the drug-related crime that is currently plaguing the country. The UN official’s insights can be found in the report he released on Friday.
De Schutter noted that the lack of employment opportunities, combined with a poor education system, has led young people to become “easy recruits for criminal gangs.” These groups are reported to subsequently extort small businesses, fostering fear and despair within local communities.
In light of these observations, De Schutter believes that the solution lies in adopting policies that encourage further investment in education, healthcare, and social protection. He argues that such actions can deter this cycle of violence by providing a substantial infrastructure of opportunity for affected communities.
The Special Rapporteur’s assessment follows a string of violent events in Ecuador, including the assassination of prosecutor Leonardo Palacios in June, political activist Pedro Briones in August, and presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.
Although the Special Rapporteur commended Ecuador for its treatment of refugees, he emboldened his message by stating that poverty is at peak levels in rural areas where it reaches around 70%. The straits are particularly dire among indigenous groups. In regard to the quality of education, De Schutter remarked:
Schools in Ecuador are not only unsafe; the quality of education is so low that they fail to compensate for the disadvantages experienced by children from underprivileged backgrounds […] And despite more money in the pot, a poorly updated social registry means officials are struggling to ensure social protection benefits reach those who need them the most.
The Special Rapporteur’s final report on the situation in Ecuador will be presented to the Human Rights Council in June 2024.