Espíndola creates cantonal system against violence toward women

The Municipal Council of the Decentralized Autonomous Municipal Government of the Espíndola Canton approved the Ordinance to Prevent and Eradicate Violence against Women in the Espíndola Canton, which creates the Cantonal System, the Cantonal Board, and the Cantonal Plan on the matter. The text was discussed and approved in the ordinary sessions of the Council held on September 3 and 10, 2026, in the first and second debates, and sanctioned by Mayor Álvaro Antonio García Ontaneda on September 15, 2026. The regulation was published in the Official Registry, Special Edition No. 1659, on Thursday, September 24, 2026, p. 2.

The ordinance is based on articles 3, 11, 35, 66, 70, 84, 85, 226, 238, 240, 341, and 393 of the Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador, the Comprehensive Organic Law to Prevent and Eradicate Violence against Women (LOIPEVCM), and articles 3, 4, 54, 249, 327, and 598 of the Organic Code of Territorial Organization, Autonomy and Decentralization (COOTAD). It also invokes the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Belém do Pará Convention.

Its scope is mandatory within the jurisdiction of the Espíndola canton, province of Loja, for all natural or legal persons, public or private, and covers the prevention, protection, care, and reparation of the rights of women who reside in or transit through the territory.

Cantonal System, Board, and Plan

The ordinance defines the Cantonal System to Prevent and Eradicate Violence against Women as the organized and articulated set of local institutions, organizations, norms, policies, plans, programs, and services. Its objectives include guaranteeing the right to a life free of violence, eliminating sociocultural patterns and stereotypes, providing free medical, psychological, socioeconomic, and legal services, and contributing to the reparation of victims.

The System will be articulated and will follow the guidelines of the National Comprehensive System to Prevent and Eradicate Violence against Women (SNIPEVCM) and the National Plan for the Prevention and Eradication of Violence against Women (PNPEVCM). It is composed of decentralized, deconcentrated, and local institutions, non-governmental organizations, civil society, and the private, academic, and cooperation sectors.

The Cantonal Plan will be the instrument that defines local public policies, featuring a diagnosis, objectives, goals, indicators, responsible parties, and monitoring mechanisms. It will have a validity of four years, will be developed participatively under the coordination of the Cantonal Council for the Protection of Rights (CCPD), and will be aligned with the PDOT and the PNPEVCM. It will include specific measures for girls and adolescents who are victims of sexual abuse or other types of violence.

Cantonal Board: composition and quarterly sessions

The Cantonal Board is established as the coordination body and implementation mechanism of the SNIPEVCM. It shall be composed of:

• The highest municipal executive authority, or their delegate, who shall preside over it.
• A representative from the governing body of the SNIPEVCM.
• The council member heading the Equality and Gender Commission.
• The coordinator of the Cantonal Board for the Protection of Rights (JCPD).
• The executive secretary of the CCPD, who shall act as the secretary of the Board.
• The decentralized level authorities of the public institutions of the SNIPEVCM.
• The highest authority or delegate of social and community organizations that provide care to victims.

The Local Prevention Commission, the Local Care, Protection, and Reparation Commission, and the Cantonal Plan Monitoring and Evaluation Commission may be formed. Ordinary sessions shall be quarterly, with prior notice of at least 48 hours; extraordinary sessions, with 24 hours’ notice, and in cases of emergency or serious social unrest, with two hours’ notice.

Resources and implementation deadlines

The Municipal GAD of Espíndola shall allocate budget, goods, services, technology, infrastructure, and specialized human talent, and shall record the expenditure within the Guiding Expenditure Classifier for Gender Equality Policies (COGPIG). The institutions of the Board shall contribute resources according to their budgetary planning.

The transitional provisions set deadlines counted from the approval of the ordinance:

• 30 days for the person presiding over the Board to convene the member institutions.
• 60 days to develop and approve an organization and operation manual.
• 90 days to develop the Cantonal Plan.
• 120 days for the Human Talent Department to develop awareness and training programs for municipal staff.

The regulation entered into force upon its approval, without prejudice to its publication in the Official Registry, and shall be disseminated on the Municipal GAD website.

The ordinance provides the canton of Espíndola with a permanent local institutional framework to address gender-based violence, with established bodies, four-year planning, and identifiable budget lines. For the women, girls, and adolescents of the canton, the text establishes care, protection, and reparation services, as well as community prevention mechanisms and a case referral route.

Source: Official Registry, Special Edition No. 1659, Thursday, September 24, 2026, p. 2 (official reference: Ordinance to Prevent and Eradicate Violence against Women in the Canton of Espíndola).