Being a woman and surviving in Ecuador

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Being a woman in Ecuador has never been easy. Gender violence is something that is experienced every day, every day. It ranges from sexist comments, through harassment, psychological and physical attacks, and even murder. 60% of the population still accepts and agrees with the violence that women receive on different occasions, according to UN Women. Thus, we are faced every day with living in a country with a profound security crisis where mistreatment is normalized and with it, impunity.

I remember that all my life I have grown up and lived in fear. From going out alone on the street, from taking the bus very late because something could happen to me, or from suffering harassment in different spaces. Not to mention the fear of my phone, computer or backpack being stolen. As I write this, I am increasingly aware that I have been alert all my life.

In 2021 I traveled outside the country to study a master's degree. I returned three months ago and everything had changed. Ecuador became the country with the most violent deaths in the region. Returning has become a challenge. I feel like I have returned to another country: one that is more insecure, hostile and violent. In which this violence has worsened and affects women even more.

Until November 15, 2023, 277 women were murdered for reasons of gender in Ecuador, according to data from the Feminist Alliance for Mapping Femicide in Ecuador, an organization in charge of carrying out this monitoring. Of that number, 113 were femicides committed by his inner circle.

Now, for the first time in Ecuador, femicides committed at the hands of organized crime exceed those that occurred within a couple, 155 last year. Sexist violence is related to the generalized violence that the country is going through. Especially for those who live in the coastal province of Guayas and its capital Guayaquil, where 27% of femicides occur and where this week we have been able to see firsthand the violence that is ravaging Ecuador.

Before I lived in fear, yes, but I feel that now that has been exacerbated more. To the anguish of a robbery or harassment I now add the fear of going out. The idea that I could be part of those “collateral victims” murdered in the midst of clashes between gangs terrifies me. And that, in reality, they are direct victims of violence. Is it normal to feel so much horror? Not at all. But it is a reality that we are faced with every day, without exception.

Without forgetting that this is written by a woman who lives in the capital, Quito. Because being a woman in rural environments is even more complicated because they experience different forms of discrimination, violence and gaps. Nor do I want to forget those who live in cities taken over by violence. In which women live almost miraculously in contexts of constant danger. Nor do I want to forget the other vulnerable groups: girls, boys and people from the LGBTI community. In 2023, 14 trans women were murdered in our country.

Now, I'm more cautious. I try not to take the bus or taxi after 6:00 p.m. The city is practically deserted after 7:00 p.m. When I walk down an abandoned street I feel nervous. Many times I prefer to go the long way, where there are people, than the short way where there is no one. Don't even think about an afternoon walk alone. Better to stay home or go out before it gets dark. What if something happens to us? We are helpless. Like what happened to Nicole Ramos, that she was brutally beaten by her attacker when she insulted him for touching her butt while she was walking. She was beaten in full view of everyone who passed by.

Claiming what belongs to us has always been an act of courage. The defense of the rights of girls and us women is a matter of social justice and human rights in a country where a woman is murdered every 27 hours. There is no harm or aggression, of any kind, that after so many years does not leave a mark on us.

Our recommendations of the week

One in five young Dominican women is breastfeeding. The lack of sexual education and gender violence mean that this condemnation is repeated over and over again.

The young women held were forced to attend parties to pay off a debt with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

The Observatory was created to monitor sexist violence in the center of Medellín. Now, even the Attorney General's Office cites their data

The Pontiff describes this practice as “deplorable,” which he considers “seriously offends the dignity of women and children.”

Reports carried out by Cepal, CAF and OECD indicate that it is one of the fields in which the most investment should be made. Countries like Uruguay and Costa Rica take the lead on an issue that will be essential in the face of an increasingly older population

Nilufar Hamedi revealed the death of the young Kurdish woman arrested for wearing the veil incorrectly and Elahe Mohammadi covered her funeral. They had been sentenced respectively to 13 and 12 years in prison.

The 51-year-old Colombian actress, the unforgettable Gloria Pritchett from 'Modern Family', produces the series 'Griselda', where she plays a bloodthirsty drug trafficker and mother who fled Colombia and created a cartel in Miami. “Women are not perfect,” she argues.

Thank you very much for joining us and see you next Monday! (If you have been sent this newsletter and you want to receive it in your email, you can do it here).

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