International trafficking of minors in Ecuador under the responsibility of the State

Abstract

DOI: https://doi.org/10.46296/rc.v8i16.0394

ABSTRACT

International trafficking of minors in Ecuador represents one of the most serious and persistent human rights violations, involving social, economic, and legal factors. This article analyzes the phenomenon from a legal and humanitarian perspective, identifying the stages of recruitment, the forms of exploitation, including sexual exploitation, forced labor, organ trafficking, and irregular adoptions, and the legal rights protected by current regulations. It examines the national and international regulatory framework, as well as the State's responsibility to guarantee and restore the rights of victims, often children whose vulnerable status is exploited by criminal networks. The investigation takes as its starting point the increasing number of reports and disappearances of minors, which reveal structural flaws in judicial processes and institutional coordination to prevent and punish this crime. Through a critical review of jurisprudence, legal doctrine, and landmark cases in Ecuador, we identify an urgent need to strengthen comprehensive protection mechanisms, and we find that the punitive approach must be accompanied by effective public policies that address the structural causes of this scourge. Ecuadorian children require more than laws: they need concrete actions that guarantee their life, dignity, and freedom.

Keywords: human trafficking, minors, Ecuador, human rights, state responsibility.