Country: Ecuador

Group: Afroecuadorian

Date Finalized: November 13, 2020

Team: Colleen Clauss (lead), Maya Shrikant, Natasha Chandra, Michael Demangone

Content Warning: slavery

Approximate Time Period: 1526-1852

              Extensive evidence supports that Afroecuadorians experienced forced labor within the territory of Ecuador until at least 1822.

              The Afro-Ecuadorian people, living in the south-central coastal region of Ecuador’s urban areas, make up 7.2% of the population (Minority Rights Group, n.d.). After invading Inca territory, the Spanish brought captive Africans to modern-day Ecuador as slaves, starting in 1526 (Bastidas, 2018; Minority Rights Group, n.d.). Enslaved men, women, and children were forced to work in gold mines, on agricultural plantations and haciendas, and in housing units (Minority Rights Group, n.d.; Johnson, 2018). The demand for African slaves resulted from their supposed ability to work more hours than other ethnic groups such as the Indians (Johnson, 2018). Additionally, when slave ships ran aground off the coast, slaves revolted and escaped to the territory of Ecuador, and established a settlement that attracted other escaped slaves (Ecuador.com, 2019). Ecuador gained its independence from Spain and supposedly abolished slavery in 1822 (Minority Rights Group, n.d.).  Slavery was formally abolished in 1852, but plantation owners still demanded labor contracts for Afro-Ecuadorians on plantations (Minorities at Risk, 2006). Racism is still deeply ingrained in systems serving Afro-Ecuadorians, and poverty and labor marginalization is rampant (Minorities at Risk, 2006). This is an example of forced labor because African people were brought to Ecuador for forced labor against their will. The source did not mention forced labor affecting the Afroecuadorian group today, but did explain that Afroecuadorians experience lower socioeconomic status and and high unemployment compared to the more privileged white/mestija group in Ecuador (Minority Rights Group, n.d.).

The evidence was rated as a 3 because detailed information was found at a variety of sources, including two reliable sources (Minority Rights Group and Minorities at Risk) and several less formal news sources and blogs. However, no information from a scholarly article was found.

Source

  1. Minority Rights Group (n.d.). Afro-Ecuadorians. Retrieved November 6, 2020, from https://minorityrights.org/minorities/afro-ecuadorians/
  2. Bastidas, B. (2010, June 9). Ecuador: Dreamtown. Frontline World. https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2010/06/ecuador_dreamto.html
  3. Central Intelligence Agency. (n.d.). South America: Ecuador. The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved October 28, 2020, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ec.html
  4. Ecuador.com. (2019, January 03). Ecuador: Afro-Ecuadorians and the Culture of Esmeraldas. Retrieved November 06, 2020, from https://www.ecuador.com/blog/ecuador-afro-ecuadorians-and-the-culture-of-esmeraldas/.
  5. Johnson, E.(2018). Up from slavery, Afro-Ecuadorians continue the struggle for their place in society – CuencaHighLife. Retrieved November 5, 2020, from https://cuencahighlife.com/up-from-slavery-afro-ecuadorians-struggle-to-make-their-place-in-ecuadors-history/
  6. Minorities at Risk. (2006, December 31). Assessment for Blacks in Ecuador. https://web.archive.org/web/20120622220302/http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/mar/assessment.asp?groupId=13001