Abstract

ALVAREZ VELASCO, Carla M  and  S. JIMENEZ, Gualdemar. Firearm Injuries: Surviving Gun Violence in Ecuador. E&c [online]. 2020, vol.1, n.10, pp.119-140. ISSN 2477-9245.  https://doi.org/10.37228/estado_comunes.v1.n10.2020.152.

This article discusses non-lethal armed violence in Ecuador. Its main objective is to show the dynamics of armed violence to make visible its impacts and to encourage the adoption of policies to reduce it. This paper also throws a light on the victims’ needs and the importance of promoting a culture of peace. This work uses Johan Galtung’s theoretical perspective of direct and structural violence. This approach employs a qualitative methodology that uses the interview as the main tool to gather information on the causes and consequences of this specific kind of violence. This article analyses the results of interviews held with people living in Quito and Guayaquil. The cases show that in the country, as in the rest of the world, poor people are the most affected by non-lethal armed violence. It also shows that victims have restricted access to medical, psychological, security care, and justice. Finally, this paper highlights the importance of adopting measures that could reduce the impact of armed violence and conducting further research on this reality to transform it.

Keywords : survivors; firearms; gun violence; human rights; medical care; social security; reparation and justice; Ecuador..

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