That figure is more than twice the number in 2021, when 92 children and teenagers died, and exceeds the 57 minors killed in 2020, according to National Police statistics.

Most of them were from 12 to 18 years old and lost their lives during actions perpetrated by gangs, when they were co-opted by organized crime in the absence of the State.

An analysis by Primicias news website revealed that there are no state programs for children between the ages of 6 and 17, only school.

This media outlet also indicated that in 2022 a total of 195,188 students dropped out of the school system, 34 percent between 16 and 17 years old, the age at which they are recruited by gangs.

The recruitment of minors by crime is not something of recent years, it has been reported for more than a decade, and today they are the leaders of criminal gangs, a study on violence by the Red del Noroeste (Northwest Network) concluded.

This network works with the neighborhoods of Guayaquil, considered the most violent in the country, and nine nearby communities with 200,000 inhabitants.

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