Survivors of violence that support victims

The recent declarations in Ecuador of internal armed conflict and recurrent states of exception in response to the growing insecurity generated by criminal and drug trafficking gangs, as well as sociopolitical instability, represent, as has occurred in other countries, a context of potential exacerbation of the violence against women, especially sexual violence against girls, adolescents and impoverished young women, migrants, indigenous people, Afro-Ecuadorians, people with disabilities and non-binary identities, who already face multiple forms of violence, discrimination, xenophobia, in normal contexts, racism and exploitation.

This situation worsens in relation to the economic position of the victim since there is less access to resources, knowledge and means to undertake actions for the restitution of rights and the elimination of actions or relationships that generate violence and is aggravated due to the present state structure.

 In Ecuador, 65 out of every 100 women have suffered violence in some dimension: social, work, family or educational. The numbers show that by 2020, 35% of Ecuadorian women have suffered physical violence, 33% sexual violence, 16% property violence and 57% psychological violence. These figures correspond to the available data which, due to under-reporting, do not necessarily equate to the high real figures.

 For this reason, we are seeking support for a new initiative: The Network of Community Therapists: Weaving Resilience for the Right to a Life Free of Violence, will train 60 women located in: the south of Quito, the rural parishes of Amaguaña, Yaruquí and in the city of Cuenca for the formation of an integrative community therapy network for women with a psychosocial, feminist and human rights approach.The creation of a network of community therapists arises from the absence in Ecuador of a social and specialized approach to interventions against violence against women, added to the dismantling of state mental health services and the security crisis experienced by the country for 5 years, and that has increased the risk of exposure that women have to experiencing violence, especially sexual violence. As a result, opportunities to access psycho-emotional prevention and recovery services are scarce, especially for women in situations of exclusion due to age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, national origin or disability.

That is why your support is essential so that we have the capacity to respond to new challenges in this new context of increased violence and crime.