Over60% of the populationlive below the poverty line. Journalists, environmental activists, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT). I believe that [Bukeles] leadership is increasing, because the tendency of the Bukele government is to become Central American, and to exercise leadership in all of Central America, said Moreno. Its not 100% safe in Honduras. But this article is written for savvy travellers from the perspective of savvy travellers. The IACHR expressed concern in 2019 regarding the critical levels of impunity and inadequate and insufficient attention to victims of human rights violations. These are the things to avoid in Honduras: Avoid looking wealthy or like a tourist Avoid the beaches after dark Dont use ATMs at night Stay away from drugs. Support focuses primarily on reintegration into the labor market, rather than assistance for people who fled seeking international protection. Along with Honduras, the IRC also identified Haiti and Venezuela as the countries most at risk of experiencing deteriorating humanitarian crises in 2022 in Latin America and the Caribbean. In November 2020, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights heard the case of Vicky Hernndez, a trans woman allegedly extrajudicially executed in 2009. Almendares had repeatedly received death threats since 2017 in relation to his reporting. Juan Orlando Hernndez extolled his achievements as. Since the end of the last decade, political protection has allowed the traditional drug trafficking groups to flourish. Honduras and theUS signed anasylum cooperative agreement in 2019, whereby Honduras agreed to receivenon-Honduran asylum-seekerstransferred by the US. Extortion in Latin America continues to bring in fortunes for criminal gangs. (Insider Tips), https://www.facebook.com/gratefulgypsies/, https://www.instagram.com/gratefulgypsies/, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn5T0r4o5KV4qoyQyR7Buww, https://www.pinterest.com/gratefulgypsies/, Traveller, teacher, writer, and bonafide music lover, Rachel Lee is a Tennessee-born human with a passion for movement. Since 2017, the government has operated centers to support returned migrants. Clearly, with the pandemic, that goal wasnt reached, but its not been forgotten either. But the removal of military officers from an anti-gang taskforce resulted in a messy divorce that temporarily reduced the units already limited capacity opening a window for criminals and before the community policing model could have any effect, the political pressure to take decisive action against extortion boiled over. A collection of moments during and after Barack Obama's presidency. After irregularities and delays, the trial of David Castillo, one of the men accused of planning the 2016 killing of environmental activist Berta Cceres, began in September 2020. The IRC is calling for stronger international cooperation to address the humanitarian crisis that displaces hundreds of thousands from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala every year. In 2013, Honduras reformed the penal code to recognize femicide as a crime. Rights activists say young men are frequently arrested just based on their age, appearance or whether they live in a gang-dominated slum. For your trip to Honduras, our handy guide has you covered. It may have improved it actually. The Newton Police Department has arrested three escaped inmates from Scott County, according to Newton police chief, Randy Patrick. According to a State Department report last year, there are up to 10,000 gang members in Honduras, a country with roughly 8 million people. Honduras hasn't specified exactly what the state of emergency would entail, but normally such measures temporarily suspend normal rules regulating arrests and searches; sometime limits on freedom of speech and assembly are implemented as well. Honduras is one of the most important drug trafficking operation centers between South America and Mexico. From 2011 to 2017, the number of killings in Honduras actually dropped, from 87 per 100,000 to 44. And taxi driversprobably wont have enough change to cover a big bill, socarry small denominations. Its a country with a big heart. In fact, most people in Honduras have a family member in a gang. Domestic and sexual violence are also widespread, with women and children bearing the brunt. Sat Navs might not always tell you the best route. Patrick said the inmates were captured about 7:45 AM in downtown Newton. La Ceibaon the northern coast, with mountains, jungles, and beaches, is a chilled and adventurous area to explore. Theyre old U.S. school buses that are poorly maintained,andovercrowded. It included provisions that appeared aimed at reducing penalties for politicians linked to organized crime, by lowering sentences for corruption and related offenses. - The New York Times Inside Gang Territory In Honduras 'Either They Kill Us or We Kill Them' In one of the deadliest cities in the world, an embattled group of young men had little but their tiny. Honduras isnt exactly what wed callsafe. Most serious crime does not affect tourists, but attacks on foreigners, including armed robbery and sexual assault, do sometimes occur. Almost 110,000 Hondurans were returned in 2019, mostly from Mexico. Theyre run by private companies, obviously, and aremore expensivethan public buses. San Pedro Sula, Honduras, has been given the unfortunate title of the most dangerous city in the world. Honduras has the misfortune of being situated between South American cocaine production and U.S. drug consumption. In Honduras, Police Accused Of Corruption, Killings Hernndez ran for reelection in 2017 a controversial move in Honduras. Dont put yourself through that stress. It provided a family, a sense of belonging. It is not just murder, it's also the shocking numbers of rape, assault, and domestic violence cases, happening with near-total impunity. A study published in April reported that nearly half of teachers in rural areas had not been able to contact the majority of their students. And this area is great for children. Here, you will find safety knowledge and advice for travelling Honduras. Heres how to not get ill whilst trying local delights. I wouldnt dare to say that [extortion] has skyrocketed because it has been so high for many years, said Leticia Salomn, a sociologist and researcher with the Documentation Center of Honduras. Chatting to them means getting first-hand knowledge, and means your experience is going to be a lot richer. On Friday, Jorge Lanza the leader of the bus operators in Honduras, supported the move, saying bus drivers were tired of being threatened and killed for not paying protection money. Between the pandemic, ever-worsening cultural division, and a click-hungry media, it can be hard to maintain what is truth and what is sensationalism. But if you meet the local ladies andlearn about their livesyoure going to have a VERY enriching experience on your hands. The country has the second-highest rate of femicidedefined as the killing of a woman by a man because of her genderin Latin America, the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean reports. We provide specialized support for survivors of gender-based violence; create safe spaces for women, youth and the LGBTQ+ community; and also offer psychosocial counseling and social work support. We are on the frontlines providing critical aid to crisis-affected people in more than 40 countries, including places on the 2022 Emergency Watchlist. Locals have to pay war taxes which keeps the poverty rate high as well. With those come violenceandpoverty. International Rescue Committee is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. ThisCentral Americancountry suffers from what many countries in the region have suffered from or are currently battling with namely corruption, gangs,anddrugs. But its pretty damn special too. Members of the military police of public order patrol a street during a special operation against criminal gangs in Tegucigalpa on 6 December. Country Summary: Violent crime, such as homicide and armed robbery, is common. Bukeles example resonates in societies with a fragile institutional framework and with a tendency towards populism and authoritarianism, said Ismael Moreno, a human rights defender. This has a pretty good expat community too. Its a massive issue. Testimony provided by drug traffickers and Honduran politicians on trial in the United States have revealed the deep-seated connection between organized crime and the governing National Party. ; Children and Adolescents - Honduras has the highest youth homicide rate in the world. Activistssaythegovernments Mechanism for the Protection of Journalists, Human Rights Defenders and Operators of Justice, created in 2015, lacks uniform criteria and is ineffective. Most who can access the internet do so on their phones. The Belize Under-19 Women's National Team (U-19 BWNT) is travelling to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on Friday, March 3 to compete in the 2023 Central American Football Union (UNCAF) FIFA Forward Under . The mission in early December was ostensibly to raid a casa loca, an abandoned home used by gang members. Make sure to check the reviews from previous travellers to check for any problems during their stay. Officials were called out to the main Wood Duck Recreation Area at around 4 p.m. on Tuesday to investigate a suspicious vehicle, a ccording to a release from the Sheriff's Office. Established in 2016 by the government and the Organization of American States (OAS), theMACCIHcontributed to the prosecution of 133 people, including congresspeople and senior officials, 14 of whom faced criminal trials. Your little ones get to see the Mesoamerican Reef,thesecond largest barrier reef in the world. There are some safety pointsthat travelers should know for anywhere they travel, but Honduras requires these special considerations. Couple that with 470 miles of (mainly) Caribbean coastline, a load of beaches and tropical islands, as well asMayan ruinsand you got yourself adream destination. Gang wars and fights with the police are common in this city. TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - The Honduran government on Saturday extended a state of emergency declaration for 45 days, expanding it to additional areas of the country in an effort to fight criminal gangs amid high levels of violence. Weve covered the main safety concerns already, but there are a few more things to know. An illegal immigrant from Honduras was sentenced to 60 years in prison Friday for the killing of a Florida man in Jacksonville in 2021, prosecutors said. They face violence from gangs, the national civil police and the military police, members of the public, and their own families, as well as extortion by gangs and discrimination in schools and in the workplace. But before arriving, the car stopped and the caravan split. Honduras recorded 3,496 murders in 2020. Politicians are manipulated by criminals or other politicians. Honduras may have one of the highest murder rates in the world, and as a solo female traveler, that doesnt sound very inviting as a destination. By clicking submit, you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions & Privacy Policy. For years, street gangs have charged protection money from bus and taxi drivers and store owners in Honduras, as in neighboring El Salvador. There's no avoiding violence in Honduras, even at home. Late Thursday, Honduran President Xiomara Castro proposed a measure to limit constitutional A large chunk of thosearrived via cruise ships, however. Gangs control areas within the same communities,. TEGUCIGALPA, Jan 7 (Reuters) - The Honduran government on Saturday extended a state of emergency declaration for 45 days, expanding it to additional areas of the country in an effort to fight. There are probably more sketchy areas in Honduras than there are safe ones. The UNspecialrapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders called Honduras one of the most dangerous countries for human rights defenders in Latin America. Heres what you need to know about the growing crisis in Honduras. STANTON COUNTY, Neb. Theres no reason to get mixed up with a gang in Honduras. The government relies heavily on the military for public security. We can't put up any longer with workers being killed and paying extortion, Lanza said. In December 2018, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights found Honduras responsible for failing to investigate Hernndezs death. Many people do travel to this particular part of Honduras,even with their families. Hondurans are warm and welcoming people whohave to live day in, day out with the violence in their country. Patrick said the inmates were captured about 7:45 AM in downtown Newton. Read the entire Travel Advisory. We hope these measures work and remain in place.. Gangsplay a big part of life here. To Desafio, the Barrio 18 gang in Honduras was everything. The IRC serves people and families in vulnerable situations or at increased risk for violence and displacement, including those who are uprooted by violence or returning after seeking safety in other countries. Gender-based violence in Honduras is also among the highest in the region and has increased during the pandemic. They practice war taxing, which is essentially just demanding money from people. The flavors, spices and. The violence is carried out by local drug trafficking groups, gangs, corrupt security forces and transnational criminal organizations mainly from Mexico and Colombia. Schools were closed from March onward due to the Covid-19 pandemic. That measure has proved popular among the public in El Salvador, and has resulted in the arrest of more than 56,000 people for alleged gang ties. The measure, part of leftist President Xiomara Castro's crackdown on gangs such as Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18, suspends some constitutional rights and allows security forces to detain people who they consider associated with or have committed crimes. "Today at dawn, in a single operation, we transferred the first 2,000 gang . Honduras is exposed to other climate shocks as well. In April, the office expressed concern regarding accusations of excesive use of force by state security agents enforcing the governments Covid-19 restrictions. His security-at-all costs approach, and the reductions in violence and crime that have come with it, have found a captive audience in Honduras, but caused consternation among civil society, and closed down discussion of other options. Feb. 21, 2023, at 6:11 p.m. Honduras Extends, Expands State of Emergency for Second Time. If you are a keen diver, Roatan is well worth a visit. Sign in How Gangs Control Honduras VICE News 8.42M subscribers. Activist groups, like the Grupo Prisma, have formed that educate and inform the general public as well as fight the current rules against homosexual relationships. Honduras deploys soldiers on anti-crime patrols - 1 hr 50 mins ago TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras - The Honduran government has deployed soldiers to perform anti-crime patrols in some of the Central American country's most violent cities, following the massacre of 18 people in a shoe factory this week. But if youre thinking about it, here are some tips. In El Salvador, a Thin Line Between Community Policing and Vigilantism. Share this via Telegram We are going to eradicate extortion in every corner of our country.. Efforts to reform public-security institutions have stalled. Honduras, long one of the poorest countries in Latin America, is now also among the most violent and crime-ridden. So when it comes to safetyin Honduras, we think youllgenerallybe fine, especially in the Bay Islands. In fact, according toInSight Crime there has definitely been around a 26% drop in crime since 2016. FILE PHOTO: Police raid a house after Honduras' President Xiomara Castro (not pictured) mobilised . Get the latest news about the IRC's innovative programs, compelling stories about our clients and how you can make a difference. Marred by corruption and abuse, the judiciary and police remain largely ineffective. 20 Top Safety Tips for Traveling to Honduras. As of September 2020, the US had yet to begin deporting any third country nationals to Honduras under the agreement. When more cameras arrived, men were forced to take off their shirts so the police could inspect them for gang tattoos in front of the bright lights. An audit of government purchases of medical supplies to fight Covid-19 revealed supplies worth tens of millions of dollars had gone missing. There are an estimated 115,000 gang members. The law also sanctions abortion providers. There is no exact number of the exodus, but according to the United States Customs and Border Protection Service, in 2020, they arrested 40,091 Hondurans, who were trying to enter the United States irregularly and until September 2021, this amount increased to 98,554 Honduran arrests, more than double the previous year. That said, we only link to the gear we trust and never recommend services we dont believe are up to scratch. We dont want to recommend traveling to the rest of Honduras with your family. But the thing iswomen DO travel alone to Honduras. The question of Is Honduras Safe? will ALWAYS have a different answer depending on the parties involved. The government had granted him protective measures in January 2019. Not really. Prosecutors and whistleblowers have received death threats. Itcan be safe as a solo female traveler in Honduras. Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2017 was 40.98, a 26.23% decline from 2016. And watch out for bad road conditions after heavy rain. Just 18 percent of Hondurans have internet access in their homes and a quarter of homes in rural areas dont have electricity. With just 39% of the population fully vaccinated as of December 2021, the health risks associated with the pandemic will remain a concern long into 2022. The inmates, all from Honduras, had reportedly escaped custody yesterday in Scott County. Disclaimer: Safety conditions change all over the world on a daily basis. The police chief in Honduras reported 356 fewer homicides between Dec. 6, 2022 and Feb 20, 2023, compared to the period Dec. 6, 2021 to Feb. 20, 2022. Anyone else would do well with a trusted tour group. All of these are in Santa Barbara Department, which also sees hijackings aroundTela, La Ceiba, andEl Progresoas well asTrujillo. We wouldnt recommend members of the LGBTQ+ community to visit Honduras unless theyre prepared to keep any sort of affection behind closed doors. Corruption, poor governance, and. So youll likely escape having to pay war tax (or facing the consequences). A woman is killed every 23 hours on average, the National Autonomous University of Honduras Violence Observatory reports. The new criminal code decriminalized defamation, but retains other crimes of honorincluding insult and slanderwhich have been used to prosecute journalists in the past. As VP Kamala Harris prepares to visit #Honduras for the presidential inauguration, we call for international cooperation and funding to respond to the humanitarian crisis displacing thousands in the country. People live here with children, by themselves, as couples, some retire here, and some people have even started up their own hostelsor otherbusinesses. Honduras Extends, Expands State of Emergency Meant to Fight Crime, FILE PHOTO: A member of Honduras' DIPAMPCO (Police Anti Maras and Gangs Against Organised Crime Directorate) stands guard as other DIPAMPCO members frisk people while doing rounds in a low-income neighbourhood, after President Xiomara Castro declared a national security emergency implementing a new plan to combat a rising number of cases of extortion by violent criminal groups operating across the country, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras November 26, 2022. The poverty resulting from all this is what youll have to watch out for. Poor health infrastructure and limited access to sanitation services has contributed to the spread of the virus. TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency to fight gang crimes like extortion. The food in Honduras is super tasty. Women - Honduras has the fifth-highest rate of violence against women in the world. Drug trafficking gangs, corruption, and extreme poverty keep Honduras down. For example, theBay Islandsaresaferthan the mainland. Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2018 was 38.93, a 5.01% decline from 2017. Honduras is one of themurder capitalsof the world. That said, the development that has taken place has not totally sucked the island dry of its charm. This year a crew member of a cruise ship was murdered on Roatan and that combined with the mainland of the country being used by cartels as part of the drug pipeline to the U.S., plus the current immigration crisis on the U.S. border all together add up to bad press for the country of Honduras. This coastal city is more welcoming togringos than other places and features beaches fringed bycoral reefsand theres a lot of new development happening here. This includes 2,838,450 Pfizer doses and 3,250,140 Moderna doses. Womenand girls who terminate pregnancies face prison sentences of up to six years. Honduras is one of the poorest countries in the Western hemisphere. Other ways to share Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. It was Zelaya's intention to seek a second term that coup leaders. While there were a few violent crime incidents, most travelers have a safe and pleasant stay. Were not going to lie its pretty sketchy. Indeed, Honduras is seeing a plague of femicidesa woman is murdered every 36 hours, mostly by an intimate partner. Honestly? Keeping yourself away from any situation to do with them will be a good way to keep yourself pretty much safe. This helps keep everyone in poverty. It submitted the case to the court in April 2019 due to Honduras lack of compliance with its recommendations, such as introducing comprehensive policies to map and prevent anti-LGBT violence and designing training programs on anti-LGBT violence for state security bodies. In 2014, the United Nations reported that 95 percent of cases of sexual violence and femicide in Honduras were never even investigated. Some are deprived of full legal capacity and are institutionalized in different settings, including psychiatric hospitals. Theres alsoLa Ceiba. When the time came, the police departed in caravans to gang-infested neighbourhoods throughout the capital city, as part of an effort to combat an apparent rise in extortion. So, yeah. Gang violence is widespread in and around urban areas. Police were allegedly in the area when private security forces opened fired against several families but did not help the victims, witnesses told the press. Note that they are generally safe to visit during the day (with a bit of caution obviously), especially if you have a local guide, but should be fully avoided at night. Newton County Sheriff's Office was involved with . Every 18 hours, a woman is a victim of a violent death. Travel smart and make sure your safety and security is your number one priority. Or gangs attacking Honduran citizens for not paying war tax. If you use our guide, do your own research, and practise common sense, you will have a safe trip to Honduras. Human rights defenders have said they will monitor the measures. A . The former vice president has become the Democratic front-runner with primary victories across the country. Members of the military police of public order get ready during a special operation in Tegucigalpa on 6 December. Many women are choosing to flee the violence in their communities. It can be a super enriching experience. It was focused on the security, or lack of security in Honduras. Of the 6,088,590 vaccine doses, 100% were donated in partnership with COVAX. Read on for more detailed information on how to have a safe trip to Honduras. In Honduras, one of the most violent countries in the world, 60 percent of deaths are attributed to organized crime. In these demonstrations, more than 1,500 were arrested and30 people were killed. Every dollar supports our mission. After a 2019 wave of gang violence that killed 37 detainees, President Hernndez declared a state of emergency and put prisons under military control.