NAME: BRYAN MORA

Attention of the Government of Ecuador on the situation of Crime and Hitmen.

Ecuador has seen an increase in violent crime in recent weeks, especially in the cities of
Quito and Guayaquil. About 80 percent of homicides in the Andean country are related
to illicit drugs, according to law enforcement officials.

Criminal violence in Ecuador is growing dangerously and seems to have no end. After a
decade of good harvest, the homicide rate in 2021 stood at over 14 per hundred
thousand–more than eight points above 2018. In January 2022, homicides tripled
compared to January 2022. 2021. According to the Ecuadorian Police, 80 percent of
crimes are due to the dispute between criminal groups for territorial control of drug
trafficking on a micro and macro scale. For this reason, crime and insecurity have
become the main problem for Ecuadorians. At the government level, the war on drugs
has positioned itself as the main strategy to deal with this problem. However, the
achievements shown by the government in terms of seizures in 2021 contrast with the
high number of deaths attributed to this war. The government seems to be consistently
losing the war on crime and it has become a highly sensitive issue politically. The
upcoming international scenario for Ecuador is complex given the political changes that
are taking place in the region. Despite this, proposing a common agenda in the fight
against crime can generate an excellent opportunity to strengthen regional integration.
International recommendations suggest that the issue of impunity and arms control are
fundamental factors in achieving significant reductions in crime. This is where
collaborative efforts between countries should be established.