Internal Displacement and Violence in Ecuador: Tendencies and Needs
As Ecuador has become a preferred transit country in transnational cocaine trafficking in recent years, violence, threats, and bribery have augmented. As a result, both emigration rates and internal displacement have also increased significantly. There is very little information on the new phenomenon of internal displacement in Ecuador. This working paper compiles anecdotal evidence shared by humanitarian workers and testimonies by people having fled violent areas in the coastal region of Ecuador. Its purpose is to describe the phenomenon of internal displacement, outline trends, identify the needs of affected families, and advocate for timely and adequate responses to those needs.