Martínez expressed the concerns of several social and human rights organizations about minors and young people caught in the act in the context of the internal armed conflict that the Andean country is experiencing.
We all share the need for public authority to confront the level of violence and terrorist attacks on the national territory, but it is unforgivable that human rights are violated, the activist warned.
According to Martínez, 10 percent of the population murdered in Ecuador are children and another large percentage have lost relatives to violence or are recruited by criminal groups.
What do we do with a juvenile delinquent? -he pondered- Should we shoot him in the back of the head, as many say on social networks? Is it okay to be beaten, abused and treated in a humiliating manner? The state cannot respond to violence with the same force, he warned.
Martínez called on the executive branch to enforce the Ecuadorian constitution and sentence minors and juvenile offenders in accordance with the law.
Recently, the National Police warned that at least 1,326 minors between the ages of 12 and 17 in Ecuador had left their classrooms to join criminal gangs.
According to a police report, the youths were linked to crimes such as illegal possession of weapons, contract killings, micro-trafficking, theft from people and other crimes related to organized crime.
The document revealed that criminals recruit students by offering them attractive financial rewards for their age.
Guayas province is the area with the highest number of detained minors, with 367 cases, followed by Pichincha, where 153 arrests were reported.
This South American nation is in an internal armed conflict ordered by President Daniel Noboa after the leader of the Los Choneros gang, Adolfo Macías (Fito), escaped from the Guayaquil regional prison on January 7 and, as a result of this event, a Series of events took place Numerous acts of violence began in detention centers and on the streets, such as the kidnapping and murder of police officers.
Analysts warn that militarization will not be enough to solve the crisis of violence and insecurity here unless social policies addressing poverty and inequality are implemented.
jha/nta