ECUADOR'S NOMINEE, INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF COURAGE

UNCLAS QUITO 000363 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR G/IWI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL EC SUBJECT: ECUADOR'S NOMINEE, INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF COURAGE REF: STATE 12871 ¶1. Summary. In response to RefTel request, Mission Ecuador nominates Lucy Blacio, El Oro province's prosecutor for sex crimes and trafficking in persons (TIP),as an International Woman of Courage. Blacio has courageously worked to gain Ecuador's first convictions under Ecuador's new anti-TIP law. Her efforts, including speaking out on TIP and sex crimes against minors and women, have drawn death threats; she is under 24-hour police protection. End Summary. ¶2. Biographical information: Name: Lucy Elena Blacio Pereira Title: Prosecutor (agente fiscal) Institution: Public Ministry, El Oro Province Address: 9 de Octubre, Edif. Reina Pacha, Machala, El Oro Telephone: 593-07-293-6295, cel. 099792005 ¶3. Justification: Ecuador's Attorney General named Lucy Blacio the TIP prosecutor for El Oro province in February, 2006. As one of just three such special prosecutors appointed nationwide, Blacio's job was to enforce anti-TIP legislation that entered into force in June, 2005. Since her designation as TIP prosecutor, she has initiated investigation or prosecution of over 30 TIP cases, and has already won two convictions under Ecuador's anti-TIP law passed in June 2005. One defendant received 12 years in prison for the forced prostitution of two underage girls. The El Oro court sentenced another defendant to 12 years in prison for the production of child pornography. These are the first TIP convictions under the new law; Blacio has set the pace for her colleagues, who are striving to emulate her results. In addition to her prosecutorial success, Blacio speaks out regularly on the need to prosecute TIP and sex crimes. For example, in 2005 she publicly criticized the Ecuadorian Ministry of Education for attempting to resolve "internally" the skyrocketing sexual abuse and assault claims in El Oro secondary schools, calling for full investigation and prosecution of all complaints. By publicizing TIP arrests, which often occur in legal brothels, Blacio has raised the profile and awareness of TIP as a crime; in a country where prostitution is legal and sex and TIP crimes have only recently begun to be vigorously pursued, her actions have also drawn death threats. Lucy Blacio is fast emerging as one of the most courageous women in Ecuador for her efforts. She is not entrenched in the political elite, does not have a decades-long career, and does not hail from Guayaquil or Quito. But she has found her niche as a hard working and honest prosecutor, setting an example, getting results, and protecting women and children in Ecuador from predators. ¶4. Point of Contact: Erik Martini Political Section Embassy Quito martinie@state.gov 593-2-256-2890 IVG 644 - 4424 JEWELL