Ecuador 2019 Crime & Safety Report: Guayaquil The current U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory at the date of this report's publication assesses Ecuador at Level 1, indicating travelers should exercise normal precautions. 0 . Efforts focused on implementation of the 2019 labor law reform that transformed the labor justice system. Workers argued that the protectionist union holding the collective bargaining agreement pressured workers to legitimize the agreement, offered bribes, and tampered with ballots. The CNDH reported indigenous women were among the most vulnerable groups in society. The CNDH may take on cases from state-level commissions if it receives a complaint that the state commission has not adequately investigated the case. OSAC - Apps on Google Play According to the Interior Secretariat, between 2018 and July assailants killed seven journalists and two defenders under protection of the mechanism. Mexico is one of Latin America's most important security markets due to its size, leading industries, development, and total demand. Defendants have the right to free assistance of an interpreter, if needed, although interpretation and translation services for indigenous languages were not always available. The STPS certification of the new election set November 3 as the date for termination of the existing agreement, thus establishing that representation rights would be determined under the new labor reform rules and institutions. Media monopolies, especially in small markets, at times constrained freedom of expression. The Quintana Roo prosecutor general confirmed police officers used disproportionate force during the arrest. There were repeated reports of excessive use of force by police officials when detaining people or policing protests and by members of the National Migration Institute (INM) and the National Guard against migrants. The Interior Secretariat registered 224 verbal and physical attacks against journalists in 2020 and a total of 1,052 between 2015 and 2020, 41 percent of which the secretariat attributed to public servants. Mexico is a multiparty federal republic with an elected president and bicameral legislature. Mexican crime data is available from police investigations (SESNSP) and also, in the case of homicides, from death certificates (INEGI). Subcontracting is allowed if it is used to perform specialized services unrelated to the main economic activity of businesses or public institutions. As of June, 58 percent of women in federal prison and 51 percent in municipal and state prisons were in pretrial detention, while 42 percent of men in the federal and local judicial system were in pretrial detention, according to a report from the Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection. The COVID-19 pandemic generated additional risks and exacerbated vulnerabilities for IDPs, including overcrowding in shelters and difficulty accessing food, basic health care, and education. In most cases the law requires detainees to appear before a judge for a custody hearing within 48 hours of arrest, during which authorities must produce sufficient evidence to justify continued detention. Following the August 2020 killing of Pablo Morrugares, El Diario de Iguala newspaper published a note blaming organized crime and Governor Hector Astudillo Flores administration for violence against journalists and impunity. The web site offers its visitors the latest in safety and security-related information, public announcements, warden messages, travel advisories, significant anniversary dates, terrorist groups profiles, country crime and safety reports, special topic reports, foreign press reports, and much more. See state summaries and advisory levels below for information on your specific travel destination. The government cooperated with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other humanitarian organizations in providing protection and assistance to refugees, returning refugees, or asylum seekers, as well as other persons of concern. If the relevant authority accepts a CNDH recommendation, the CNDH is required to follow up with the authority to verify that it is carrying out the recommendation. (No Ratings Yet) Discrimination in employment or occupation occurred against women, indigenous groups, persons with disabilities, LGBTQI+ individuals, and migrant workers. By law the government collected biometric data from migrants. The Secretariat of National Defense and Secretariat of the Navy also play a role in domestic security, particularly in combating organized criminal groups. Political parties nominated more female candidates for public office in the midterm elections than ever before, including half of their candidates for governor in the 15 races up for election. The OSAC Program Office is headquartered in Washington, DC and is overseen by a 34-member public-private Council. In July the secretary of the navy publicly apologized to families of the victims, marking the first time the armed forces apologized for committing forced disappearances. There were 600 federal labor inspectors to cover the entire country; 60 percent of state level labor authorities had fewer than 10 inspectors. The law mandates the creation of a public registry of companies supplying specialized services to verify only registered companies fulfilling tax and administrative requirements may supply those services. In July unknown assailants abducted and killed Aranza Ramos in the state of Sonora. In-country Movement: There were numerous instances of armed groups limiting the movements of migrants, including by threats and acts of kidnapping, extortion, and homicide. State commissions do not have uniform reporting requirements, making it difficult to compare state data and therefore compile nationwide statistics. Observers noted that it also increased the likelihood of work-related illness and injury. Federal law prohibits discrimination against persons with physical, sensory, intellectual, and mental disabilities. The new wage applied to all sectors and allowed an earner to reach or exceed the poverty line. The government deployed hundreds of security forces to contain the caravan. Violence by organized criminal groups often prompted the incidents, which took place in 10 states and displaced 11,560 persons as of August. The new vote took place on August 17-18, and a majority of workers rejected the collective bargaining agreement. World Report 2022: Venezuela | Human Rights Watch Responsibility for registration of unions and collective bargaining agreements, including amendments to their statutes, shifted to the Federal Conciliation and Labor Registration Center in November 2020 for the eight phase-one states. Rather than receiving daily wages once a week, as mandated by law, day laborers had to meet certain harvest quotas to receive the promised wage. INEGI reported that 2 percent of the population (2.5 million) self-identified as Afro-Mexican. The government increased efforts to target human smuggling organizations. While on average informal workers earned less than the minimum wage, in some areas, such as near the northern border, informal employment could pay more than formal employment in the manufacturing sector. The Federal Center also carries out mandatory pre-judicial conciliations at the federal level, with local conciliation centers carrying out the same function at the state level. Reports JASON Study 2021 [7 MB] DSS 2020 Accomplishments [6 MB] Antiterrorism Assistance Retrospective 2018-2019 [9 MB] Brochures & Text The Diplomatic Security Service: U.S. Diplomacy's Global Force (PDF) [7 MB] The Diplomatic Security Service: U.S. Diplomacy's Global Force (Text) Diplomatic Security Regional Security Office (PDF) [4 MB] Diplomatic Security Regional Security Office [] As in 2020, NGOs in Campeche and Yucatan submitted multiple civil injunctions against the project citing a lack of transparency regarding environmental impact assessments and adverse effects on indigenous cultural heritage. In July 2020 the Supreme Court agreed to analyze the case but as of August 23 had not issued a ruling. NGOs stated authorities failed to investigate torture allegations adequately. U.S. Department of State - United States Department of State According to the NGO Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Catholic-majority communities sometimes discriminated, harassed, threatened, displaced, denied basic services, and destroyed the property of individuals who left Catholicism. Communities and NGOs representing indigenous groups criticized the government for failing to consult indigenous communities adequately when making decisions regarding extractive industry and natural resource development projects on indigenous lands. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of the MORENA party coalition won the presidential election in generally free and fair multiparty elections in 2018. . A Mexico City municipal law provides increased penalties for hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Migrants were also recruited by criminal organizations to conduct illicit activities. Federal law sets six eight-hour days and 48 hours per week as the legal workweek. OSAC 2021-N-0016, Standard for Initial Response at Scenes by Law Enforcement (added September 7, 2021 and sent to ASB for further development and publication). Between January and August the CNDH recorded 123 complaints of arbitrary detention. There were credible reports of sexual assaults against migrants, particularly women, while migrating in and through the country. As of July the CNB reported that there were 89,572 missing or disappeared persons in the country. osac mexico 2019 crime and safety report - Toyology Defendants have the right to an attorney of their choice at all stages of criminal proceedings. The governments failure to enforce labor laws left workers with little recourse for violations of freedom of association, poor working conditions, and other labor provisions in states that had not yet implemented the new labor justice model. NGOs alleged that provisions in laws threatened the privacy of internet users by forcing telecommunication companies to retain data for two years, providing real-time geolocation data to police, and allowing authorities to obtain metadata from private communications companies without a court order. Federal authorities supported access to contraceptive methods, but states efforts varied widely. In October 2020 the Electoral Tribunal granted registration to three new political parties: Solidary Encounter Party, Progressive Social Networks, and Social Force for Mexico. Flores received temporary protection from the Interior Secretariat protection mechanism. The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) was created in 1985 under the Federal Advisory Committee Act to promote security cooperation between American private-sector interests worldwide and the U.S. Department of State. The survey also reported that persons with darker skin completed 6.5 years of schooling, while those with white skin completed 10 years. Penalties ranged from monetary fines to the cancellation of candidacies. On August 28, approximately 500 migrants, the majority from Haiti, started a caravan from Tapachula to Mexico City to obtain expedited asylum processing. Federal law provides for freedom of internal movement, foreign travel, emigration, and repatriation, and the government generally respected these rights. The state commissions are funded by state legislatures and are semiautonomous. Of the 500 legislators in the Chamber of Deputies, 250 were women, 1 percent more than after the 2018 elections. Also see the Department of Labors Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor/findings/ as well as the Department of Labors List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/reports/child-labor/list-of-goods. Additionally, some indigenous students did not receive the breakfasts and lunches normally included in the full-time school meal program, according to a UNESCO study. Exercise increased caution in the Dominican Republic due to crime.. Country Summary: Violent crime, including armed robbery, homicide and sexual assault is a concern throughout the Dominican Republic.The development of a professional tourist police corps, institution of a 911 system in many parts of the country, and a concentration of . In February authorities arrested 12 state police officers in Camargo, Tamaulipas, on homicide charges in connection with the massacre and burning of the bodies of three smugglers and 16 Guatemalan migrants en route to the United States. Conflicts arose from the interpretation of indigenous communities self-governing normative systems. Uses and customs laws apply traditional practices to resolve disputes, choose local officials, and collect taxes, with limited federal or state government involvement. Posted at 01:41h . Occupational Safety and Health: The law requires employers to observe occupational safety and health regulations, issued jointly by the STPS and Institute for Social Security.