Scope and limits of afro-ecuadorian ethnoeducation in response to child and adolescent recruitment in Guayaquil

Abstract

Child and adolescent recruitment by organized crime groups in Ecuador constitutes a manifestation of structural violence and a violation of the State’s mandate of comprehensive protection. The objective of this study was to analyze, through documentary and legal approaches, the potential and limitations of Afro-Ecuadorian ethnoeducation as a strategy for preventing the recruitment of Afro-Ecuadorian children and adolescents in the Western Suburb of Guayaquil. The research was developed under a descriptive legal, qualitative, and documentary review approach, through the application of theoretical-legal, exegetical, and analytical-synthetic methods, aimed at examining constitutional regulations, educational policies, and institutional documents. The findings revealed that, although ethnoeducation strengthens cultural identity, historical memory, critical thinking, school retention, and community belonging, it is not, by itself, a sufficient or self-sufficient preventive measure. It is concluded that preventive effectiveness against criminal recruitment depends on implementation with budgetary traceability, an effective cross-curricular framework, and consolidation as an anti-racist intercultural education policy with national scope (the “casa afuera” approach).