Female inmates have reported sexual harassment, violence and abuse by soldiers during security operations.
On Monday, the Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CDH) and six other Ecuadorian humanitarian organizations sent a letter to the Ombudsman’s Office demanding an investigation into allegations of sexual violence by military personnel against women incarcerated at the Guayas 2 prison in Guayaquil.
RELATED:
Ecuador Reports Seven Active Forest Fires in Four Provinces
In recent weeks, humanitarian organizations have received alerts from relatives and female inmates regarding alleged acts of harassment, violence and sexual abuse committed by soldiers during security, control and search operations.
The latest allegation emerged on Saturday, when they received a video showing a military member touching a woman underneath her shirt. The following day, the humanitarian organizations received an allegation that soldiers had entered the prison and used tear gas against the inmates in retaliation for the video being circulated.
“This new incident raises additional concern about the possible existence of acts of retaliation or intimidation following the public complaint, as well as the risk faced by women who report situations of abuse,” the CDH stated.
🚨 CDH alerta sobre presuntos abusos contra internas en Guayaquil
El Comité Permanente por la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos (CDH) @CDHGYE denunció posibles actos de violencia sexual contra mujeres privadas de libertad en la cárcel de Guayaquil.
Su representante, Fernando… pic.twitter.com/4q2oSZqPsC
— Bessy Granja Barriga (@bessygranjaOK) September 20, 2026
The text reads, “CDH raises alarm over alleged abuse of female inmates in Guayaquil. The Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CDH) has reported possible acts of sexual violence against women deprived of liberty at the Guayaquil prison. Its representative, Fernando Bastias, released a video that the organization claims provides evidence of such an act committed by a military officer against a female inmate. The CDH called on authorities to investigate the incidents and questioned the conditions under which the inmates are held. It also proposed that this duty be assigned to female personnel. The complaint was addressed to the Prosecutor’s Office, the Ombudsman’s Office, the SNAI, the Interior Ministry, and UN Women.”
The Guayas 2 is part of a group of prisons that were taken over by the Armed Forces after President Daniel Noboa declared “war” on criminal gangs in 2024.
The human rights defenders recalled that the Ecuadorian state is a party to international treaties establishing that the surveillance and custody of women in prisons must be carried out exclusively by female personnel.
They also requested that the Ombudsman’s Office conduct an unannounced visit to the Guayaquil prison to collect the women’s testimonies without the presence of security forces.
The CDH demanded that the Ombudsman’s Office request from the National Service for Comprehensive Attention to Adults Deprived of Liberty and Juvenile Offenders (SNAI), the Defense Ministry and the Armed Forces’ Joint Command the orders, protocols, instructions, operational plans and rules applicable to the conduct of military personnel at the women’s prison, as well as protocols for the prevention, identification and reporting of sexual violence, abuse and harassment applicable during military interventions.
If the Ombudsman’s Office finds “reasonable indications of the possible commission of crimes against sexual integrity, torture or other offenses,” the Ecuadorian human rights organizations demand that the matter be reported to the Office of the Attorney General.
teleSUR/ JF
Sources: EFE – CDH
From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.