ECUADOR PUBLIC POLICY PROPOSAL. Strategic Use of Seized Assets for Crime Prevention and the Comprehensive Development of Children

Social allocation of real estate assets seized from criminal organizations

1. Context

Within the framework of the State policy to combat drug trafficking and terrorism, the Ecuadorian State has initiated processes for the seizure of real estate assets linked to illicit activities, currently oriented toward their sale or disposal. While this measure is legally valid, it is proposed to evaluate an alternative use with greater structural and preventive impact, aligned with constitutional principles of comprehensive child protection, public security, and human development.

2. Purpose of the Proposal

To allocate seized real estate assets to the creation of National Centers for Children’s Rights and Comprehensive Development, under State administration, transforming assets of illicit origin into permanent social infrastructure aimed at crime prevention and the reconstruction of the social fabric from early childhood.

3. Scope and Target Population

The centers will serve children and adolescents in vulnerable situations, including neurodivergent populations, with an approach based on inclusion, human rights, and comprehensive development.

4. Programmatic Components

The National Centers would integrate the following pillars:

a) Protection and Care

– Infant care homes and temporary shelters for children at social risk

b) Education, Arts, and Culture

– Artistic and cultural education centers (music, arts, conservatories)

– Creative workshops as tools for cognitive and emotional development

c) Mandatory Drug and Alcohol Prevention

– National, structured, and mandatory early-prevention programs

– Periodic, continuous, and evaluable educational sessions for all children nationwide

d) Technical Training and Youth Employability

– Technical and vocational training programs

– Certification of labor competencies for youth starting at age 17

e) Neurodivergent Inclusion

– Specialized spaces with adapted methodologies

– Comprehensive educational, emotional, and social support

f) Animal Care and Coexistence

– Permanent rescue and shelter programs for cats and dogs within the centers

– Daily child-animal interaction as a therapeutic, pedagogical, and formative tool

– Education in respect for life, empathy, and social responsibility

g) Ethical and Historical Education

– Education in universal values through the historical study of the life and message of Jesus, approached as a documented historical fact

– Analysis of His teachings from an ethical, humanistic, and social perspective: love of neighbor, forgiveness, personal responsibility, redemption, and service

– Transmission of principles reinforcing the idea that every person can correct their path regardless of past mistakes, strengthening moral resilience and personal reconstruction

This non-religious, historical-formative approach seeks to promote values that have historically demonstrated a positive impact on social coexistence and violence prevention.

5. Legal and Public Policy Rationale

This proposal aligns with:

– Constitutional principles of comprehensive child protection

– Crime prevention and public security frameworks

– Social rehabilitation and sustainable development policies

– The social use of seized assets in accordance with the public interest

Transforming criminal assets into centers for education, prevention, and care reduces the likelihood of crime reproduction, generating long-term social benefits that exceed the immediate monetization of assets.

Reorienting seized assets toward children sends a clear institutional message:

the State not only sanctions crime, but strategically invests in forming citizens with values, education, and real opportunities.

This proposal is respectfully submitted to the National Government, President Daniel Noboa, and Vice President María José Pinto, as a technical contribution to the design of a sustainable, preventive, and human-centered public policy.

Investing in children is, objectively, the most effective long-term policy for security and development.