Quito, June 10 (EFE). – Ecuador’s Minister of Economic and Social Inclusion Harold Burbano explained in an interview with EFE that the Amazonian province of Orellana has become the most recent hotspot for the recruitment of minors by criminal gangs.
The province has been affected by the increase in illegal gold mining in the Amazonian rivers and the presence of former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas from neighboring country.
“We have worked with the Ministry of the Interior to create a georeferencing map,” Burbano explained, “to identify the most vulnerable areas of the nation.”
The Amazon region has become one of the “hot spots,” alongside coastal provinces such as Guayas, Los Ríos, Manabí, and Esmeraldas, as well as border crossings.
“The information is confidential, and I cannot disclose the specific cantons so as not to undermine the Security Block’s strategy,” Burbano continued.
The minister explained that Ecuador has about 20,000 families with children and adolescents living in areas with the highest intensity of armed conflict. Minors from these families are more likely to be recruited by criminal groups.
Criminal gangs are behind the unprecedented escalation of violence in Ecuador, which has led the country to have the highest homicide rate in Latin America.
This trend worsened in 2025, with an average of one murder per hour since the beginning of the year.
From January to June of that year, between 1,200 and 1,300 minors were arrested for their involvement in organized crime. In 2024, 3,086 children were arrested between January and October.
“If we make a general assessment, of the 55,000 to 60,000 people linked to criminal gangs, about 5% are children,” Burbano explained.
To address this situation, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa ordered the creation of a committee aimed at “eradicating the recruitment of children into organized crime.”
The committee comprises representatives from 17 national government institutions, including the Vice Presidency and the Ministries of Inclusion, Health, Education, Labor, and Foreign Affairs. EFE
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