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Risk Assessment | Analytic Summary | References
Risk Assessment
While it is difficult to fully assess risk potential for Afro-Ecuadorians, their absence in media reports seems to underscore the nature of their marginalization. While Ecuador's government has experienced a great deal of turmoil in recent years, there is no reason to expect that this would be felt disproportionately by Afro-Ecuadorians. However, given that they are marginalized in the economic and political life of the county, it is likely that Afro-Ecuadorians will continue to organize for greater rights on a small nonviolent scale in the future.
Analytic Summary
Ecuador's black population resides in the northern coastal regions, particularly in the Esmeraldas province (GROUPCON = 3). The group was originally brought to the country as slaves, but in 1851 slavery was outlawed and blacks were freed. Following the abolition of slavery, few highland Ecuadorians inhabited the coastal region, and blacks dominated life in the regions in which they lived. They worked not only as laborers, but also were involved in commerce and local government.
Blacks in Ecuador have been reported to experience widespread poverty and discrimination (ECDIS03 = 3) by the U.S. Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1993, 2001, 2002, and 2003 (ATRISK1 = 1, ATRISK2 = 1). The society remains stratified with reports of overt social prejudice against blacks, although news reports about Afro-Ecuadorians are scarce. Nevertheless, Ecuador has no formal policies of racial or ethnic discrimination and considers itself a "multinational" country (POLDIS03 = 3). The government has taken no serious initiatives to address the problems of blacks within the society (POLSTAT = 2). There are reportedly five major groups that represent Afro-Ecuadorian interests, most notable is the National Afro-Ecuadorian Confederation, although mobilization has not reached a substantial national scale (GOJPA03 = 2, PROT01-02 = 0, PROT03 = 3).
References
U.S. Department of State. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Ecuador 2001-2003.
Lexis Nexis, all news reports, 2001-2003.
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