Discrimination and segregation towards priority care groups and informal settlements: Physical barriers, symbolism and intersections in Quito, Guayaquil and Lago Agrio

Abstract

This paper analyzes the characteristics and causal relationships of the physical and symbolic barriers that cause the lack of access to services in the cities of Ecuador, through a qualitative methodological approach. Its starting points are the concepts of discrimination and segregation towards the "priority attention groups", which include: children and older adults; women and the LGBTIQ+ population; people with disabilities; people in a situation of mobility (migrants); and people who define themselves as indigenous or native peoples. With this diversity of actors, a CAP methodology (knowledge, attitudes, and practices) has been applied, obtaining as a result that the people who perceive the most discrimination and segregation within Ecuadorian cities are middle-aged and elderly indigenous women and migrants, mainly Venezuelans.

Keywords: Discrimination, priority care groups, segregation, fragmentation.