Narratives of abandonment : a media-based analysis of school dropout and youth recruitment in conflict zones of Ecuador
Tusa, Fernanda (Universidad Técnica de Machala)
Tejedor, Santiago (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Periodisme i de Ciències de la Comunicació)
Aguaded, Ignacio (Universidad de Huelva)

Data:	2025
Descripció:	24 pàg.
Resum:	School dropout and the recruitment of minors by criminal organizations have become deeply intertwined phenomena in Ecuador, particularly in territories marked by extreme violence and institutional fragility. This study investigates how Ecuadorian national media construct and frame these issues in 2025, using a qualitative content analysis of 85 opinion columns, editorials and analytical pieces published in leading outlets including El Comercio, El Universo, La Hora, Primicias, GK, Vistazo and Mercurio. Through a critical analysis of discursive patterns, the study identifies dominant narratives that reflect the normalization of violence, the erosion of schools as protective spaces, polarized portrayals of youth as victims or delinquents and a general critique of state inaction. Media narratives were found to vary ideologically, with some reinforcing stigma while others advocated for structural reform and rights-based approaches. The results highlight the role of media in shaping public understanding of educational exclusion and juvenile vulnerability in contexts of conflict. This research concludes that while Ecuadorian media serve as both mirrors and mediators of social crisis, their potential to influence educational policy and child protection efforts remains uneven. A more inclusive, critical and community-oriented media discourse is needed to confront the challenges of educational abandonment and youth recruitment.
Drets:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Llengua:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Matèria:	School dropout ; Child recruitment ; Educational inequality ; Media discourse analysis ; SDG 4 - Quality Education ; SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Publicat a:	Social sciences, Vol. 14, Núm. 10 (2025) , art. 600, ISSN 2076-0760

DOI: 10.3390/socsci14100600

24 p, 352.7 KB

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