Lower thirds:

00:03 Report by / Felipe Abondano
00:16 Maryari Amelina Merchán Cruz / Victim's mother
00:54 Ronny Play Merchán / Victim's brother
01:28 Lita Martínez Alvarado / CEPAM director, Guayaquil 
02:42 Zafiro Casasnovas / Casa Nazaret coordinator
03:46 Maryari Amelina Merchán Cruz / Victim's mother

Script:

00:00 
For years, Maryary's sole motivation and task was the search for her daughter, Evelyn Pilay Merchán. She never suspected that her daughter was living with the men responsible for her murder. 

00:15 
+++ Maryari Amelina Merchán Cruz, mother of femicide victim +++
"They called me to go identify some clothing, they told me. And I thought it was clothing, well, no, and then I went and it was clothing on a skeleton. (Flash.) Look, I told them, look, it says that she is your sister, it was just bones, nothing more than a skeleton, and the feet, the shoes, yes, it was her clothes."

00:42  
Thanks to the brother's social media, the case became public and a 26-year prison sentence was handed down.  

00:52 
+++ Ronny Play Merchán, brother of femicide victim +++
"In our case, five prosecutors came and went. The first three did nothing, and we only found out much later that the second one almost dismissed the case in exchange for $6,000 offered by the other party."  

01:12 
The government of Daniel Noboa has been criticized for the increase in femicides in Guayaquil. The hardline strategy prioritized the presence of the military in the streets over strengthening the justice system.  

01:26 
+++ Lita Martínez Alvarado, Director of CEPAM, Guayaquil +++
"And in any constitutional state governed by the rule of law, the justice system should be the one that precisely ensures this protection against state neglect in the face of the criminal justice system, against any violation of rights. However, it is precisely within the justice system where practices that endorse impunity are entrenched."  

01:50  
Some femicides are linked to the gangs that operate drug trafficking in the city, but also to the silence of abused women who feel they have no escape.  

02:05 
+++ Lita Martínez Alvarado, Director of CEPAM, Guayaquil +++
"When these conceptions are still being woven, that she provoked it, that she sought it out, that she didn't warn in time, all these prejudices exist, and the case doesn't move forward, the case isn't judged as it should be, in the collective imagination, before and even more so now, the family or the women are left wondering, 'Why should I report it?'" 

02:25  
With the aim of saving lives, temporary shelters have been established for women where they can begin to rebuild their lives after abuse and violence. 

02:42 
+++ Zafiro Casasnovas, Coordinator of Casa Nazaret +++
"One of the common things we observe when a woman comes here is that they can finally rest, they can sleep, for example. We have women who sleep for an entire day. At first, during the first few days after arrival, they can rest. And that's something very beautiful, because they hadn't experienced that feeling of protection, security, and trust for many years."

03:05 
411 women were murdered in Ecuador in 2025, and so far this year it appears that this number will be surpassed by 2026 

03:15 
+++ Zafiro Casasnovas, Coordinator of Casa Nazaret +++
"A society that fails to adequately protect half its population is a society that still has a long way to go in understanding, protecting, and fairly valuing its future. As a society, we are not progressing if half the population is in a vulnerable situation."  

03:36  
Although the street is perceived as the most dangerous place for women, most die in their homes or neighborhoods. The lasting impact of crime makes any reparation insufficient. 

03:45 
+++ Maryari Amelina Merchán Cruz, mother of femicide victim +++
"My grandchildren, I love them, I adore them, but the pain of losing my daughter... as I say, the day they killed my daughter, they killed a part of me too. They killed half my life. My joys ended, my desire to smile."  

04:01 
Guayaquil is the epicenter of femicide cases, a city that once represented the industrial and tourist drive of Ecuador and is now among the most dangerous cities in the world. 

END