The number is impressive, considering the crackdown only started
in January this year after allegations of torture and abuse by
several former patients.
According to the Box Turtle Bulletin, one client, Paula Ziritt,
said she was held for two years at one such facility in Guayaqui -
the largest and the most populous city in
Ecuador - which included three months in handcuffs while
guards threw urine and iced water on her.
Estimates predict that there could be up to 200 such clinics,
with many posing as schools or language centres.
The site also report that local authorities say six of the
clinics were linked to evangelical movements.
One health director, Eva Cevallos, told them: "Obviously you can
not cure homosexuality. These therapies involve malpractice and are
unauthorized. They cause depressive disorders, self-destructive
behavior, anxiety and may lead to committing suicide."
