Ecuador develops plan to end sexual violence in schools

• The President’s Public Policy to Eliminate Sexual Violence in Schools is an important step in addressing the prevalence of sexual violence in schools in Ecuador.
• Human Rights Watch analysis shows that the policy lacks adequate long-term funding, which could hamper its implementation, exacerbate long-standing barriers to response, and jeopardize the implementation of the policy’s prevention and access to justice and reparations goals.
• The government should allow legal representatives to participate meaningfully in cases. Civil Society Organize and involve children in the formulation of policy implementation plans, as well as the implementation and evaluation of public policies.

(New York) – Daniel Noboa, President Ecuador August 20, 2024 Signing of decree The government will develop a public policy to eliminate sexual violence in schools, an important step toward addressing the problem, Human Rights Watch said today. The document details the government’s plan to address sexual violence by 2030.

Sexual and gender-based violence is local Ecuador has the highest number of cases of sexual violence in schools in the world. In the past decade, the Ministry of Education has received nearly 6,500 reports of sexual violence in schools, affecting 7,303 children across the country. These figures undoubtedly underestimate the true total, as most cases of sexual violence go unreported.

“The president’s decree shows that ending sexual violence against students is of paramount importance to the Ecuadorian government,” Irene Martinezsenior children’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Across Ecuador, large numbers of students are experiencing sexual violence in schools, and they often receive little support in responding to the abuse and limited access to justice and reparations.”

This public policy responds to a number of measures ordered by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in June 2020. Paula Guzmán Albarracín v. EcuadorThis is the first case of sexual violence on campus to be heard by the court. The case outlines the government’s commitment to preventing and responding to sexual violence, disseminating information and data related to sexual violence on campus, and access to justice and reparations.

Ecuador’s education system faces Major challenges There are numerous problems in responding to abuse, including a shortage of student welfare teams, a tendency for schools to shield staff and protect their reputations at the expense of student welfare, and setbacks in sanctioning teachers accused of sexual violence. Hindered The ability of government agencies to detect and respond to cases of sexual violence.

Survivors and their families face an uphill battle to seek justice for the abuse, including adequate compensation. Many face re-traumatization and have to retell their stories countless times due to entrenched discrimination and bias in the judiciary. There is a widespread perception of impunity in the justice system. Efforts to provide effective justice guarantees for children are hampered by limited financial and human resources at the Attorney General’s Office and the Judicial Council.

The public policy details a variety of actions to effectively address barriers in the education and justice systems. Human Rights Watch analysis of the policy shows that it lacks adequate long-term funding, including enough to prevent and eliminate sexual and gender-based violence against children in schools. For example, the budget for “access to justice and reparations” is only $1.5 million by 2030. The Judicial Council said it needs a total of $22 million per year to maintain its services dedicated to violence cases.

This could affect its implementation, exacerbate long-standing barriers to response, and jeopardize the implementation of the policy’s prevention and access to justice and reparations goals. The policy outlines a target to provide at least one training course on sexual violence to 90% of staff involved in administrative and judicial processes by 2030. This limited target ignores the need for ongoing training on sexual and gender-based violence and violence against children for justice personnel. The policy also fails to increase the number of staff involved in the need Investigate cases of sexual violence against children.

Inconsistent funding, underspending and subsequent budget cuts across government agencies have led to Historically Stagnation Efforts to address sexual violence on campus. Education Department funding for preventing and responding to sexual violence has fluctuated over the years. Funding for gender-based violence, part of which will go toward addressing sexual violence on campus, was not fully spent in 2023 and was reduced in 2024.

Human Rights Watch also found that cutting the Judiciary Committee Budget Over the past few years, the agency has worked with national and international organizations to fund the restoration of the Gesell rooms, which were designed to protect the health and identity of children during initial investigations.

In 2024, the Congressional Education Committee conducted audit All agencies responsible for addressing violence against children, including the Ministry of Education, the Attorney General’s Office and the Judicial Council. The committee’s report shows that there are gaps in government agencies’ response to violence against children. The Ministry of Economy and Finance reported to the committee that in 2022 and 2023, all agencies reviewed did not use 100% of existing funding to respond to sexual violence. It similarly found that a lack of staff, including trained professionals in the justice system, hampered the directive to fully work with survivors, including to prevent re-traumatization.

The Presidential decree provides that an inter-institutional round table composed of representatives of various government agencies will be responsible for developing the policy and reporting to the Inter-American Court. The Center for Reproductive Rights and CEPAM-Guayaquil are the legal representatives of Paola Guzmán’s family in the Americas. Paula Guzmán Albarracín v. Ecuador Those involved in developing this policy, Concerns raised Ecuador lacks participation of civil society organizations and children in the final formulation and implementation of policies. Human Rights Watch said the government should meaningfully involve legal representatives of cases, civil society organizations, and children in the development of policy implementation plans, as well as in the implementation and evaluation of public policies.

“The government should do its utmost to implement its commitment to prevent and address sexual violence in schools in order to eliminate the scourge of sexual and gender-based violence against children,” Martinez said. “Since this is a national priority, the government should ensure that its public policies are adequately funded and have the necessary human resources to guarantee every student’s right to learn in a safe environment.”