The media and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) reported several cases of abusive police enforcement of the Covid-19 lockdown. There are 37 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, and all 18 provinces are. Planning a safe trip to Honduras can get quite overwhelming. Women, children and the LGBTQ+ community are the ones most affected and we have seen the demand for services skyrocket It is essential to address the root causes of forced migration, a strategy that the current U.S. administration is adopting. EIN number 13-5660870. UNHCR; Posted 22 Dec 2022 Originally published 22 . Honduras isnt a gay-friendly country, however, there are some movements that are going in the right direction. 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. Then there are quite a lot of gang wars as well. There are quite a few cute Airbnbs in Honduras, and as long as you stay in one of the safer neighborhoods, wed say that renting an Airbnb is perfectly safe. These. SafetyWing is convenient, cheap, and trouble-free Insurance was never this easy! But if youre thinking about it, here are some tips. In July 2020, gunmen in police uniforms abducted five indigenous Garifuna men in Triunfo de la Cruz, where communities are claiming ancestral land from drug traffickers and developers. Dont hitchhike ortake lifts from strangers , Other ways to meet fellow travelers and. Patrick said the inmates were captured about 7:45 AM in downtown Newton. Every year, more than 100,000 Hondurans are internally displaced, migrate, seek protection abroad, or are deported back to Honduras. Alongside her husband, Sasha, she co-founded the. Traveling around the country is a more complicated matter. Hondurass prison population has doubled over the past decade, partly due to a 2013 reform that greatly expanded the use of mandatory pre-trial detention. The violence is carried out by local drug trafficking groups, gangs, corrupt security forces and transnational criminal organizations mainly from Mexico and Colombia. 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. Police chief Gustavo Sanchez said the decision, based on what he told journalists were good results during December, will allow continued reductions in crime and violence. The Supreme Court had upheld Romeros 10-year sentencein January 2020. And for transparencys sake, please know that some of the links in our content are affiliate links. - 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. Simple as that. We go into the field to interview, report and investigate. 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. Click here to read the full story: 6 gang members killed in Honduras prison. And taxi driversprobably wont have enough change to cover a big bill, socarry small denominations. The law also sanctions abortion providers. Gangsplay a big part of life here. Thats why weve listed and answered the most frequently asked questions on safety in Honduras. The rate of young people killing other young people is down to two main gangs : Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18. Latest News Profile Criminal Actors Investigations News Latest News There is only anecdotal evidence of the scale of the problem because so few extortion victims report the crime, making a statistical analysis impossible. Meanwhile, as Guatemalas electoral season heats up ahead of next years presidential election, some candidates have signaled that if elected, they would also implement hardline policies. More than half of detained men and two-thirds of detained women were in pretrial detention. Poor health infrastructure and limited access to sanitation services has contributed to the spread of the virus. Honduras, long one of the poorest countries in Latin America, is now also among the most violent and crime-ridden. In fact, most people in Honduras have a family member in a gang. Wed say only experienced, intrepid travelers should tackle this one alone. The former vice president has become the Democratic front-runner with primary victories across the country. Garza is wanted in Honduras for homicide. Namely, being robbed. Women, children and the LGBTQ+ community are the ones most affected and we have seen the demand for services skyrocket, while the organizations delivering aid need increased resources to be able to staff up to meet the urgent needs, says Meg Galas, director for northern Central America at the IRC. In 2014, the United Nations reported that 95 percent of cases of sexual violence and femicide in Honduras were never even investigated. Honduran soldiers wearing facemasks guard the entrance to the city of San Pedro Sula during the coronavirus crisis on April 17, 2020. It wont be down to the wire cutting edge info on the most current events, but it is layered in the expertise of veteran travellers. Close, Is Honduras Safe for Travel? The inauguration of Xiomara Castro, elected Hondurass first female president, is scheduled for January 27 with U.S. vice president Kamala Harris, King Felipe VI of Spain and other world leaders slated to attend. Crisis in Honduras: Ongoing violence and climate shocks Here are three reasons the International Rescue Committee's Emergency Watchlist ranks Honduras among 20 countries most at risk of worsening humanitarian crisis in 2022. Late Thursday, Honduran President Xiomara Castro proposed a measure to limit constitutional rights so as to round up gang members. Access to health care services was a concern in Honduras prior to the pandemic, particularly for rural and economically marginalized communities. February 18 2022 Receive free Honduras updates We'll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest Honduras news every morning. There are probably more sketchy areas in Honduras than there are safe ones. FILE - Honduras' President Xiomara Castro addresses the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, Sept. 20, 2022. However, whilst its quite dangerous, the government is promoting tourism in Honduras. One good thing I can say about Roatan is that the dive sites are excellent around the island. 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. 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. Share this via Reddit Between 2005 and 2019, 34 percent of women who were 20-24 years old had married when they were 15-19, the UN Population Fund reported in 2020. But this article is written for savvy travellers from the perspective of savvy travellers. Sat Navs might not always tell you the best route. Gang violence is a big issue in Honduras. Theres a huge problem with single-use plastics in the Earths water and you dont have any assurance whatsoever that your bottles will be properly disposed of, even if youre careful to sort them in the proper bin. We are all about smart travel and were here to help you travel smart too. Women - Honduras has the fifth-highest rate of violence against women in the world. Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2019 was 42.01, a 7.91% increase from 2018. We are going to be covering a whole lot of topics in this epic Honduras safety guide. . Investigations were underway at time of writing. Honduras isnt perfectly safe for tourists, but that doesnt mean that you can travel there or have a good time. Gangs control areas within the same communities,. Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2017 was 40.98, a 26.23% decline from 2016. In Honduras, the types of danger include, but are not limited to, violent gang activity, trafficking, rape, street crime and armed robbery. It is not just murder, it's also the shocking numbers of rape, assault, and domestic violence cases, happening with near-total impunity. Of 25,000 gang members in 2012, nearly a fifth were children, UNICEF estimated. For example, theBay Islandsaresaferthan the mainland. October 4, 2021 The U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras is pleased to announce a donation from the government of the United States of 250,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to the people of Honduras. The flavors, spices and. Extortion in Latin America continues to bring in fortunes for criminal gangs. Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency against gang crimes like extortion. In the 2010s, Honduras' homicide rate skyrocketed, peaking in 2011 and slowly declining since. Dont eat at tourist traps. And were not going to lie,Honduras doesnt exactly lend itself to solo travel. Weve covered the main safety concerns already, but there are a few more things to know. Extortion in the Northern Triangle is predominantly done from prisons, yet prison populations have been on the rise. Security forces committed abuses while enforcing a nationwide Covid-19 lockdown that President Juan Orlando Hernndez imposed in March. TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency to fight gang crimes like extortion. Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency to fight gang crimes like extortion. Traveling here is definitely adventurous, but that doesnt mean its off-limits for solo travelers. Marvin Damin Castro Molina, who, as part of the Coordination of the Southern Social Environmental Movement for Life, fought mining, agro-industry, and hydroelectric projects, was abducted and found dead in Choluteca in July 2020. 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. San Pedro Sula (Spanish pronunciation: [sam pedo sula]) is the capital of Corts Department, Honduras.It is located in the northwest corner of the country in the Sula Valley, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Puerto Corts on the Caribbean Sea.With a population of 671,460 in the central urban area (2020 calculation) and a population of 1,445,598 in its metropolitan area in 2020 . (Reporting by Orfa Mejia in Tegucigalpa; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Leslie Adler). Pastor Daniel Pacheco told Los Angeles Times reporter Kate Linthicum, "I can ask them to leave the gang, but I don't have anything else to offer them. The effort comes amid complaints by business owners, the transportation sector and ordinary Hondurans that extortion by criminals has risen in recent months. Get a quote below or read our in-depth review! Violence: Honduras reached a . Politicians are manipulated by criminals or other politicians. Nevertheless, the political gains to be had from emulating Bukeles hardline policies may be too enticing to pass up. Overcrowding, inadequate nutrition, poor sanitation, beatings, intra-gang violence, and detainee killings are endemic in prisons. There are taxi ranks in a lot of locations. Read about how e-Sims work or click below to see one of the top eSIM providers on the market andditch the plastic. Efforts to reform public-security institutions have stalled. HOUSTON Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Houston, with assistance from ERO Tegucigalpa and the Security Alliance for Fugitive Enforcement (SAFE) Task Force, removed Rufino Garza Monroy, a twice-deported foreign fugitive from the United States on Feb. 24. Of course, being a woman anywhere is going to come with additional risk. According to the U.N., Honduras has the highest femicide rate in the world. REUTERS/Fredy Rodriguez/File PhotoReuters. In October, the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH), of which Cceres was president, complained of continued delays and a lack of transparency in the case. Investigating organized crime is an expensive and often risky enterprise. Reaching primary sources and getting the real story involve extensive fieldwork. Its a mix of European, indigenous and Caribbean influence, and youll love it. 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. They offer simple & flexible travel insurance, and safety advice to help you travel confidently. By clicking submit, you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions & Privacy Policy. In Honduras, steps were taken to demilitarize public security forces and a community policing model was announced, with the hope being that the measures would increase public trust in an institution that has historically been dogged by corruption and infiltrated by the very same organized crime groups it is supposed to combat. Over60% of the populationlive below the poverty line. These drug trafficking gangs rule peoples lives. There are an estimated 115,000 gang members. Naturally, youre going to be wondering, Is Honduras safe? That is why we have created this insiders guide looking at the safety of travelers in Honduras. The US is losing allies in Latin America just as production of cocaine, fentanyl, and other synthetic drugs is going through the roof. In January 2020, the OHCHR released a report saying that the armed forces and military police had used excessiveeven lethalforce in response to the protests that followed the 2017 election. Copyright International Rescue Committee, 2023. crises in 2022 in Latin America and the Caribbean, top 10 crises the world cant ignore in 2022, calling for stronger international cooperation, 2.8 million people in need of humanitarian aid, 36% of funding received for 2021 Humanitarian Response Plan, 937,000 disaster-induced displacements in 2020, 3.3 million people facing crisis or worse levels of food insecurity in 2022.