Ecuador sees rise in teen gang recruitment and digital crime recruitment

Ecuador recorded 205 juvenile murders in the first four months of 2026, with 194 victims aged 12‑17, raising the share of minors among violent deaths to 7.4% of the 2,778 total recorded in that period. Experts say organized crime groups lure adolescents with cash, social media, and popular culture, exploiting poverty, school dropout and familial neglect.

Digital recruitment is expanding: two‑thirds of videos reaching minors on platforms such as TikTok contain gang symbols, and narcoculture content receives 76% more views than regular trends. In 2025, 585 minors were killed; arrests of adolescents rose to 1,465, with 24% seized carrying weapons. The government launched its first public policy on recruitment in June 2025, creating the Copruunna coordination of 13 agencies, school protocols in 33 cantons, and a pending organic law to block recruitment content and mandate parental supervision. Yet challenges persist, with 700 adolescent offenders reported by May 2026 – a 74.5% increase since 2023 – leading to 64.8% overcrowding in detention facilities and gaps in reintegration programs.