A/HRC/44/52/Add.2 Annex Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, on her visit to Ecuador I. Introduction 1. The Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Dubravka Šimonović, conducted an official visit to Ecuador from 29 November to 9 December 2019, at the invitation of the Government. The main focus of the visit was to assess the overall situation of violence against women in the country and to evaluate the efforts being made to eliminate violence against women, including through relevant laws, policies and services, and the obstacles faced in this regard. 2. The Special Rapporteur expresses her appreciation for the excellent cooperation extended to her by the Government before, throughout and after the visit. During the visit, the Special Rapporteur met with the Vice-President of the country, along with various highranking representatives of the Government, including the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Minister for Economic and Social Inclusion, the Minister of the Interior, the Vice-Minister of Labour, the Vice-Minister for Economic and Social Inclusion, the Secretary for Human Rights, the President of the National Assembly and representatives of its parliamentary committees on democratic reform, labour, health, and children and adolescents. She also met with the President of the National Electoral Council, the Vice-President of the Constitutional Court and its members, the Vice-President of the Judicial Council and its members, and the Counsel General of the State. She had an inter-institutional meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Telecommunications and the Information Society, the Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade, Investments and Fisheries, the Secretariat of Higher Education, Science, Innovation and Technology, the Secretariat of Planning, the National Statistics and Census Institute and the Ecuadorian Social Security Institute. Furthermore, she met with representatives of statutory human rights agencies, including the Ombudsperson and the National Council on Gender Equality, along with representatives from international organizations and civil society. In addition, she met with the Governor of Azuay and relevant stakeholders in Cuenca, Huaquillas, Machala and Tulcán. 3. The Special Rapporteur visited Chillogallo women’s detention facility in Quito, along with shelters for women fleeing violence in various locations throughout the country, including the María Amor Foundation in Cuenca. 4. She is grateful to the United Nations Resident Coordinator Office and the country team, in particular the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and other relevant stakeholders for their invaluable support in facilitating her visit. 5. She wishes to express her heartfelt thanks to all the women and girls who placed their trust and hope in her by sharing their personal and often traumatic experiences of violence and gender-based discrimination, allowing her to gain an insight into some of the systemic problems they face when it comes to gender-based violence against women and their right to a life free from violence. II. General context 6. Since the new President took up office in May 2017 and the adoption of the subsequent amendments to the Constitution in 2018, Ecuador has experienced a number of political, institutional and economic changes. With these shifts, the country has made considerable progress towards bringing domestic legislation into line with international 2