We are a human-rights-based development organization that strives to mitigate the consequences of severe human rights violations, such as collective violence. We support and empower victims/survivors of human rights violations and seek to change the conditions that perpetuate collective violence through preventative strategies.
This thematic report aims to provide an analysis of the current practices of torture and ill-treatment in Ecuador as they are experienced by PRIVA in our work with rehabilitation of torture victims. From the statistics and cases in this report, it is clear that torture and ill-treatment is still a prevalent practice committed against persons in custody of either the police or the social rehabilitation centres. Further, impunity for such crimes is upheld due to a reluctance with the judicial authorities to conduct prompt, effective, independent and impartial investigations when credible allegations surface. Furthermore, torture is often not reported due to a lack of right awareness, insufficient financial capacity and fear of reprisals on the side of the victims.
Reveals a disparity between refugee camps and urban areas: in camps there is a greater awareness about the needs of the disabled and better services than in urban environments, where refugees with disabilities are unable to access services offered by the host government and virtually no one is providing special assistance to them. The Women’s Refugee Commission also found greater discrimination and stigmatization towards the mentally disabled population; assistance programs, when available, tend to focus on those with physical and sensory disabilities.