Women protest in Quito over murders of student Nathaly Mafla and activist Monika Silva

On June 10, 2026, hundreds of women gathered in Quito, Ecuador, to demand justice for the killings of 20‑year‑old engineering student Nathaly Mafla and anti‑corruption activist Monika Silva. The demonstrators, organized by feminist collectives such as Tremendas Ecuador and Fundación Ciudadanas del Mundo, set up a memorial with photographs, candles and flowers, observed minutes of silence, and then marched through the city, briefly blocking traffic.

Mafla, a student at the Escuela Politécnica Nacional, was last seen on June 4 and her body was discovered in a stream north of Quito on June 8. Silva, a Polish‑born activist who led the Fundación La Integridad and reported corruption in public contracts and land sales, was found dead in her home on June 8. Protesters condemned what they described as systemic state failure to protect women and called for a transparent investigation into the murders.

The rally highlighted broader concerns about gender‑based violence in Ecuador, with activists noting more than 70 femicides recorded by April 2026 and thousands of women reported missing nationwide.