Victims of Femicides Left 1,095 Orphan Children in Ecuador

University of the Armed Forces (ESPE) and Aldea Foundation presented a study showing that 1,095 children were orphaned as a result of the femicides that occurred in Ecuador between 2014 and 2020.

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The provinces of Pichincha, Guayas, and Manabi concentrate over 50 percent of orphaned children tallies, while Sucumbios and Santo Domingo are the provinces with the highest incidence rate of orphanhood due to femicides.

Between 2014 and 2020, 850 femicides occurred in Ecuador. The researchers highlighted that 455 victims were mothers.

In more than 80 percent of cases, femicides were committed by partners, ex-partners, spouses, or cohabitants. 

As a strategy to offer protection and combat violence against women, the Human Rights Secretariat set up nine shelters in the country, five of which receive direct funds from the State. 

In January last year, Quito City's San Jose Municipal Patronage inaugurated a safe house where therapeutic, legal, educational, and personal support is offered for six months to battered women. 

As of May 14, the civil society group "Alianza Mapeo" recorded 52 femicides so far this year.