Ecuador faces surge in juvenile homicides and criminal recruitment

Ecuador is facing a critical surge in violence targeting minors, with UNICEF reporting that juvenile homicides rose from 79 cases in 2021 to 412 in 2024. Organized crime groups have also expanded significantly, with membership doubling from 40,000 to 80,000 members over the last two years. Experts estimate that between 5,000 and 18,000 adolescents are currently at direct risk of being recruited by these criminal structures.

In the province of El Oro, authorities are on high alert following the recent murder of a 15-year-old student. In the Machala district alone, eight students have been killed in the last ten months. Police are investigating links between these killings and territorial disputes between gangs such as ‘Los Lobos’ and ‘Los Sao Box’.

Investigations indicate that criminal organizations use social media platforms like TikTok to influence minors and utilize economic incentives to recruit them. Recruitment often begins with small payments for transporting packages and escalates to involvement with firearms. Authorities and analysts emphasize that addressing this crisis requires a national prevention strategy involving the education system, families, and government bodies to combat school abandonment and lack of economic opportunity.