Ecuador: Update of Response to Information Request ECU22222.E of 16 November 1995 on domestic violence and on whether the new provisions of the law on violence against women and the family have been enacted
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 April 1996 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ECU23549.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ecuador: Update of Response to Information Request ECU22222.E of 16 November 1995 on domestic violence and on whether the new provisions of the law on violence against women and the family have been enacted, 1 April 1996, ECU23549.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abdac.html [accessed 28 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The following information was provided to the DIRB in a 15 April 1996 telephone interview with a staff member of the Centro Ecuatoriano de Promoción y Asistencia a la Mujer (CEPAM) in Quito, a non-government organization that assists women who are victims of sexual and domestic abuse.
According to the source, the Ley contra la Violencia a la Mujer y a la Familia (Law against violence to women and the family) was approved by President Duran-Ballen and the Ecuadorian Congress on 11 December 1995 and is currently enforced by the proper authorities in Ecuador. The source added that the law "is a first attempt to confront violence against women in Ecuador. In that sense it is not perfect and does not provide for a complete protection of women against domestic violence but it gives them legal means and alternatives to confront the problem." The source added that the law provides women with a recurso de amparo, which allows victims of domestic violence to request and obtain that their husband/companion be forced to stay out of the home.
However, the source mentioned that despite these legal improvements, significant changes will be needed in the comisarías de la mujer and the comisarías de la policía (respectively police stations for women and regular police stations), the two institutions where complaints relating to domestic violence are lodged. According to the source, these comisarías suffer from of a lack of personel, material and funding. "Their staff will need to be better trained to understand the situation of battered women. Changes in mentality are occuring, but at a slow pace." The source also expressed the need for a better circulation of the text of the law throughout Ecuador.
The DIRB will receive a copy of the new law in the coming weeks and will forward a translated version to Regional Documentation Centre upon receipt.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Reference
Centro Ecuatoriano de Promoción y Asistencia a la Mujer (CEPAM), Quito. 15 April 1996. Telephone interview with a staff member.
