Statement rejecting violence and calling for dialogue in Ecuador

El CLACSO Working Group on Childhood and Youth It observes with enormous concern the increase in state violence unleashed against social sectors mobilized in the context of the indefinite national strike called by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE). The statements issued last Friday, June 24, by President Guillermo Lasso, announcing the intensification of the “progressive use of force” against the population legitimately claiming and demanding their rights and the fulfillment of government promises, have deepened the skepticism, perplexity, and indignation of those of us who aspire to the establishment of general living conditions framed within the dignity of the individual and communities as the foundation of peaceful and democratic coexistence.

It is worth recalling that, shortly after the start of the current national strike, the participation of numerous social organizations that joined the call of CONAIE demonstrated the strength of popular discontent against a government that has undeniably proven incapable of addressing the full range of demands raised by various social sectors. Furthermore, incapable of politically processing the social conflict, the government has dedicated its administration and resources to delegitimizing social protest through its own spokespeople, its representatives and ministerial advisors, and the mass media, which have not hesitated to amplify statements aimed at discrediting and stigmatizing the popular mobilization, its leaders, and activists. These positions and actions have unfortunately confirmed the government's lack of genuine commitment to its worn-out calls for dialogue, especially after a year of systematic government failure to honor its promises in at least two previous rounds of talks with CONAIE.

The escalating violence at the end of the thirteenth day of the national strike has left 5 people dead, 8 missing, 145 injured, and 127 arrested. In this tense situation, we express our deep sorrow for the victims and their families and reiterate our condemnation of all forms of repression against the general population, but particularly against children, youth, and women. Furthermore, the effects of the deliberate delegitimization of social protest by the government—associating it not only with “Castro-Chavismo” and vandalism, as happened in 2019, but also with drug trafficking, which is supposedly financing the popular uprising—are clearly evident in certain sectors of the population. From there, and stimulated by the inflammatory official narrative, groups calling themselves "good people" have spread expressions full of racist, discriminatory and neo-fascist violence, which far from contributing to possible ways of processing the conflict, fuel it.

In monitoring these events, we have witnessed the civic spirit and commitment to peace demonstrated by the higher education institutions that have opened their doors to the indigenous population gathered in Quito. The Central University of Ecuador, and in particular the Salesian Polytechnic University, which has hosted several academic events organized by our Working Group, have reaffirmed through these actions their long-standing commitment to the most vulnerable sectors of society and their social legitimacy as spaces for humanitarian aid conducive to dialogue and democratic mediation of the conflict.

Our deep concern regarding the course and outcome of the dialogue that has resumed today, on June 25, 2022, between the Government and CONAIE, is also imbued with expectations that reaffirm the possibility of a reasonably democratic coexistence. This will only be possible within the framework of governmental will and actions aimed at implementing policies and measures that guarantee dignified living conditions for the majority of the population, currently mired in a spiral of precarity that explains their indignation and mobilization. In this sense, from our perspective as citizens and as academics committed to a horizon of social justice, we respectfully and emphatically call upon the social and institutional actors representing the voices of the conflict to lay down their arms and embrace the principles of a genuine dialogue that places the dignity and well-being of all Ecuadorians, and not just those of a few historically privileged sectors, at its center.

June 27th, 2022
CLACSO Working Group
Childhood and Youth

This statement expresses the position of CLACSO Working Group on Children and Youth and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.