Statistics
Elderly
The living conditions of Ecuador's elderly population are extremely poor. A recent study revealed that one third of the elderly are illiterate and that five in 100 people living in poverty are elderly. Making this situation even more difficult is the fact that access to financial security in old age is extremely limited. Therefore, only 23% of Ecuadorians 60 years or older receive social security. Only 28 % of elderly men and only 17 % of elderly women receive social insurance.
Abused Women
A poll by the Center of Planning and Studies (CEPLAES) in Quito discovered that 60 per cent of women in the city were regularly abused or had been hit at some point by their husbands or cohabitants. An astounding 37.3 per cent of them were ill-treated regularly and 25 per cent suffered abuse "sometimes". About 35.6 per cent were attacked "rarely". (Aguilar and Camacho, Nothing Justifies the Violence, CEPLAES, 1997). According to the Statistical Report N°9 of the Foundation Maria Guare of Guayaquil, between October 1996 and April 1997 there were 6,153 cases of aggression within families. About 92.72 per cent of the victims were women and 53.39 per cent of the women were in a marriage lasting seven years or more. Unfortunately, 74.90 per cent of attacks were not reported to the authorities.
In 1990, the House of Refuge was opened in Quito for Women and Minor Victims of Violence. The opening of the House of Refuge was the first of many other houses of refuge that began to open across the country: House of the Refuge of the CEPAM, Hostel God's San Juan, Hearth Maria Bethlehem, Juvenile Feminine Hearth, Hostel Talita Cumi. (Source: Bulletin N°16 of the Network Latin-American Feminist and of the Carib against the Domestic Violence and Sexual/Isis Internacional, 1997)
Children in poverty
An official study carried out in December of 2000 revealed that 65% of the population under the age of 18 live below the poverty level. More than 3 million children live in families lacking basic necessities such as housing, nutrition, healthcare and education.
Governmental statistics estimate that over one million children in Ecuador work to survive and maintain their families.(Source: INNFA, Instituto Nacional del Niño y la Familia)
About 90% of the children that are a part of the JUCONI program are malnourished or suffer from illnesses. The children entered into programs such as Atención a la Niñez Trabajadora en la Calle de JUCONI usually sell items such as roses and cigarettes in the streets or on public transportation. They also clean shoes or sell brooms.
Every day, these children are exposed to violence, sexual abuse, drugs, prostitution and crime.
Many begin to work at an early age, some as young as four, and are out on the streets 13 hours a day until late into the night, all the time unsupervised.
Work
A government study in 1998 found that 45% of the population between the ages of 10 and 16 are working.
Health
60% of the children in Ecuador under the age of five are malnourished. (First Congress on Nutrition Development, Quito 2000)
56% of the children in Guayaquil are physically abused. (DNI 1999)
Education
The principal reason for children not being registered in school is because of the cost of tuition.(Source: INEC 1999) The cost of registration is 10 to 30 USD per year.
A third of the population has not completed the first part of their education, and three quarters have not completed the second.(Source: SIISE)
The children are denied their basic rights
These children do not have access to a proper education because of the hours that they have to work and the cost of schooling. Expenses such as uniforms, transportation, and school stationery, cannot be afforded. They are denied their rights to an education, a safe environment to grow up in and hope for a bright future.
Girls at risk
The girls in the marginal communities are at great risk of social isolation. The recent economical crisis forced girls to neglect educational and social opportunities and begin working. An incredible 99% of domestic work in Ecuador is done by women. JUCONI has found a great number of girls (some as young as seven) taking care of their younger brothers and sisters.
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