Yery Noel Medina Ulloa of Honduras pleaded guilty . In September, the OHCHR and IACHR expressed concern regarding the continued spread of the virus in prisons. Honduras is one of the Western Hemisphere's deadliest countries for journalists, with security forces representing their biggest threat, Reporters Without Borders noted in 2021. Instead, buy an eSIM! Public buildings, transportation, and information and communication services open to the public are not fully accessible to people with disabilities. This isnt one for first-time backpackers. Members include officers from the police, the military, and the Attorneys General Office. The MS13 and Barrio 18 street gangs control urban neighborhoods in the countrys two major cities Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula and rural towns close to the border with El Salvador. EIN number 13-5660870. Its a mix of European, indigenous and Caribbean influence, and youll love it. Wed,03/01/23-8:26AM, 3 Reads. Get fresh updates on organized crime from across the region delivered to your inbox. Its a country with a big heart. Close to 1 million migrants fled Honduras for the U.S. border over the eight-year tenure of former President Juan Orlando Hernndez, now facing drug trafficking charges after being arrested. Trump, who is running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, announced a slate of futuristic new policies in a campaign video Friday. But this article is written for savvy travellers from the perspective of savvy travellers. Theres a lot of fresh fish in places like, Steer clear of anything that you cant peel yourself. Often, people with disabilities are threatened and subjected to extortion by criminal gangs. In July, police arrested two men in connection to the 2020 killings of 45 TV reporter Germn Vallecillo Jr. and his cameraman, Jorge Posas, in La Ceiba. Honduras is one of themurder capitalsof the world. So keep that in mind and have a read of our safety tips for solo female travelers thinking of taking a trip to Honduras. 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. Im nervous, repeated a young police officer driving a pickup truck crowded with heavily armed special forces officers. Here is available the most popular Honduras Newspapers list. Its not very safe to drive in Honduras. So far, the state of exception in Honduras has produced some arrests and forced the gangs and other criminal groups to keep a lower profile. Chances are, if you are arriving via a cruise ship, you will be safe. Late Thursday, Nov. 24, Castro proposed a measure to limit constitutional rights so as to round up gang members. Already vulnerable people in Honduras live in an evolving humanitarian crisis, says IRC protection coordinator Zuleyma Chahin. 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. With those come violenceandpoverty. The men remained missing at time of writing. Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency against gang crimes like extortion. A quarter of women and girls become pregnant before turning 18the second-highest rate in Latin America. Officials flew Garza, a 48-year-old . The law also sanctions abortion providers. Its also a nice place since the ferry toUtilaruns from here, making it easy to escape to the tropical paradise of theBay Islandswhenever you feel like it. But before arriving, the car stopped and the caravan split. Youll need to be a confident traveler. Thats why weve listed and answered the most frequently asked questions on safety in Honduras. But Honduras is far from Eden. 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. Womenand girls who terminate pregnancies face prison sentences of up to six years. In January 2020, the government shut down the Mission to Support the Fight against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH). Despite some similarities, the security situation in El Salvador is different from Honduras, which has a much larger territory, higher population, greater poverty and a more diverse set of criminal groups. We are going to eradicate extortion in every corner of our country.. 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. The Supreme Court, particularly its president, exerts excessive control over the appointment and removal of judges, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights reported in 2019, and career instability limits judges independence. 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. Our work is costly and high risk. Visiting Honduras right now is as safe as it ever was:not very. We wouldnt recommend members of the LGBTQ+ community to visit Honduras unless theyre prepared to keep any sort of affection behind closed doors. 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. World Nomads mission is to support and encourage travellers to explore their boundaries. At the same time, traveling alone can be stressful, boring, lonely, anddangerous in varying quantities. However, whilst its quite dangerous, the government is promoting tourism in Honduras. Hardline policies, meanwhile, are popular because people think that theyre going to work but inevitably the track record is that they havent, said Malone. The flavors, spices and. 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. But travelers DO take these buses. Juan Orlando Hernndez extolled his achievements as. Chances are it wasnt cooked with too much care. The inmates, all from Honduras, had reportedly escaped custody yesterday in Scott County. LGBTpeople in Honduras are frequently the targets of violence and discrimination, according to Human Rights Watch research. Seeing the world without anyone to answer to, getting to challenge yourself andgrow as a person. This is an issue that has not been taken seriously by the Honduran state.. Patrick said the inmates were captured about 7:45 AM in downtown Newton. Late Thursday, Honduran President Xiomara Castro proposed a measure to limit constitutional rights so as to round up gang members. The government relies heavily on the military for public security. In February 2020, it called on El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico to protect the rights of migrants and refugees to leave their country of origin, noting that asylum applications from Central America and Mexico grew 50-fold from 2012 to 2018. Extortions generate annual profits of up to $737 million for gangs, nearly 3% of the country's gross domestic product, according to data from Association for a More Just Society, a security-focused non-governmental organization. That means suncream, sun-hats, and limiting time in the sun. There's no avoiding violence in Honduras, even at home. A study by the National Violence Observatory of the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH) placed the country as the most violent territory in Central America, with a homicide rate of 38.5 per 100,000 inhabitants. We get it. 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. Utila is unlike the rest of mainland Honduras in just about every way. It also documented widespread mistreatment of people detained and arrested during the protests. As of September 2020, the US had yet to begin deporting any third country nationals to Honduras under the agreement. Its not a good idea to go out to bars and clubs by yourself. Members of the military police of public order patrol a street during a special operation against criminal gangs in Tegucigalpa on 6 December. 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 . Poverty, violence, and insecurity are the main reasons for the high crime rate. 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. 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. document.getElementById("ak_js_2").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); This website uses cookies to improve your experience. It was Zelaya's intention to seek a second term that coup leaders. Xiomara Castros crackdown on gangs is also an attempt to counter allegations the government hasnt done enough to combat crime. There are 37 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, and all 18 provinces are. 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. Wed classify it as generally hazardous. As expected, the video went viral and the local newspapers made sure they put this trusted news source on their front page. Many women are choosing to flee the violence in their communities. 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. Anyone else would do well with a trusted tour group. According to the U.N., Honduras has the highest femicide rate in the world. Lanza said that 50 drivers have been killed so far in 2022, and a total of 2,500 have been killed over the last 15 years. The storms, among other shocks, led to higher levels of food scarcity while weakening the states capacity to cope with displacement. For Varela, who said she had never been a victim of extortion, but heard a lot about it as of late, human rights are just an obstacle. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time can seriously get you in trouble. Roatan is the largest of the Honduras Bay Islands. These. In April, the office expressed concern regarding accusations of excesive use of force by state security agents enforcing the governments Covid-19 restrictions. Make sure to check the reviews from previous travellers to check for any problems during their stay. Its prettyextreme. We need to address these immediate needs too.. Excessive use of force by police and deployment of the military in public security operations continued in 2020. Iris Argentina lvarez of the Cerro Escondido peasant cooperative, which has been working to recover land currently owned by a sugar company, was killed and three people were injured during a violent and allegedly illegal eviction in Choluteca in April 2020. And that is pretty cool. Although there is a law that provides higher penalties for bias-based crimes, including on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, the Attorney Generals office told Human Rights Watch in September 2020 that no one has been convicted under the law. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Overcrowding, inadequate nutrition, poor sanitation, beatings, intra-gang violence, and detainee killings are endemic in prisons. TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) One day after six Honduran environmental activists were convicted for alleged actions against a mining operation, the Supreme Court's Constitutional Chamber unanimously sided with the defendants on two long-standing appeals and threw out their case late Thursday. In certain areas, yes Honduras is safe to travel for families. People do it. In November 2020, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights heard the case of Vicky Hernndez, a trans woman allegedly extrajudicially executed in 2009. TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency to fight gang crimes like extortion. Weve covered the main safety concerns already, but there are a few more things to know. People are frisked in Tegucigalpa on 26 November. Alongside her husband, Sasha, she co-founded the. Lots of travelers stick to bottled water,but please dont. The government bans emergency contraception, known as the morningafter pill, which can prevent pregnancy after rape, unprotected sex, or contraceptive failure. See the State Department's travel website for the Worldwide Caution and Travel Advisories. A law prohibiting same-sex couples from adopting childrentook effect in 2019. Security forces committed abuses while enforcing a nationwide Covid-19 lockdown that President Juan Orlando Hernndez imposed in March. It provided a family, a sense of belonging. 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. Honduras is exposed to other climate shocks as well. 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. Sexual violence and oppression are frequent tragedies here. In 2014, the United Nations reported that 95 percent of cases of sexual violence and femicide in Honduras were never even investigated. Your little ones get to see the Mesoamerican Reef,thesecond largest barrier reef in the world. 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. Again, thank you! Its just that easy. Theres a lot to learn about Honduras that goes beyond gangs and beaches. While homicide rates have dropped in recent years, Honduras is still the most dangerous country in the region, with 38 homicides per 100,000 people. Home to the second biggest barrier reef in the world, beaches, and sparkling turquoise sea, as well as a whole host of Mayan ruins, amazing coffee, and the second largest rainforest in the Americas, Honduras is extremely biodiverse: there are 770 bird species alone. Honduras has the misfortune of being situated between South American cocaine production and U.S. drug consumption. Investigating organized crime is an expensive and often risky enterprise. That said, the development that has taken place has not totally sucked the island dry of its charm. Honduras. In Honduras, Police Accused Of Corruption, Killings Hernndez ran for reelection in 2017 a controversial move in Honduras. Its not 100% safe in Honduras. The Newton Police Department has arrested three escaped inmates from Scott County, according to Newton police chief, Randy Patrick. At nighttime, you should really get a taxi. ; Children and Adolescents - Honduras has the highest youth homicide rate in the world. The question of Is Honduras Safe? will ALWAYS have a different answer depending on the parties involved. It may not exactly be classed as safe, but Honduras shouldnt be ignored. If you use our guide, do your own research, and practise common sense, you will have a safe trip to Honduras. People here live in pretty supreme poverty 60%of the population living in poverty really isa lot of people. Feb. 21, 2023, at 6:11 p.m. Honduras Extends, Expands State of Emergency for Second Time. 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. In fact, according toInSight Crime there has definitely been around a 26% drop in crime since 2016. The streets of major cities like Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula are gripped by crime and conflict. There are high levels of crime in Honduras. Many people do travel to this particular part of Honduras,even with their families. These drug trafficking gangs rule peoples lives. 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The code also includes poorly constructed provisions that could lead to violations of the rights to assemble and protest and an overly broad definition of association to engage in terrorism, which could be used to criminalize and disproportionately punish behaviors that fall far short of what most reasonable observers would consider terrorism. Honduran soldiers wearing facemasks guard the entrance to the city of San Pedro Sula during the coronavirus crisis on April 17, 2020. Its dangerous there.. TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduran authorities reported on Monday the discovery of more than 1.6 million coca leaf bushes in the most important. Independent travel is going to require A LOT of being careful. 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. The groups most likely to be internally displaced or leave the country are children subjected to forced gang recruitment, professionals and business owners who face extortion, domestic violence survivors, and LGBT people and members of ethnic minorities who face violence and discrimination. If youdo get one in the street, ensure that you tell the taxi driver that you dont want to share the taxi. For years, street gangs have charged protection money from bus and taxi drivers and store owners in Honduras, as in neighboring El Salvador. Garza is wanted in Honduras for homicide. 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. The primary drivers of this violence are gangs like the Barrio 18 and MS13, which concentrate their criminal activities in urban areas and recruit young people, many of whom are suffering from widespread economic inequality and a lack of opportunity. The number one network in cable, FNC has been the most-watched television news channel for 18 consecutive years. Dont hitchhike ortake lifts from strangers , Other ways to meet fellow travelers and. 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. Late Thursday, Honduran President Xiomara Castro proposed a measure to limit constitutional Two private security officers were charged. Most who can access the internet do so on their phones. A 25-year-old migrant who posed as a minor to illegally cross the border was sentenced to 60 years for killing the father of four who took him in. The mission in early December was ostensibly to raid a casa loca, an abandoned home used by gang members. As dusk fell, a helicopter hovered menacingly over a dusty football field where several hundred police officers stood in formation, waiting for the clock to strike six and the imposition of a state of exception partially suspending constitutional guarantees in Honduras. Latest News Profile Criminal Actors Investigations News Latest News led to the detention of more than 2% of its adult population. The state of emergency, in place since Dec. 6 in 165 areas of Honduras' largest two cities, Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, has been expanded to 235 of the country's 298 municipalities, the national police said. For example, theBay Islandsaresaferthan the mainland. This coastal city is more welcoming togringos than other places and features beaches fringed bycoral reefsand theres a lot of new development happening here. 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. crime Mayor and Retired Honduras National Police Sub-Commissioner Arrested for Organized Crime Involvement By Hector Martinez on February 24, 2016 crime, extortion, gangs, mara, MaraSalvatrucha, ms13, MS18, murder, narcotics, OrganizedCrime, salvatrucha General Honduras News, Headline News The rate of young people killing other young people is down to two main gangs : Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18. Even if they graduate high school, they can't get a job." And for transparencys sake, please know that some of the links in our content are affiliate links. Living in Honduras means youll have to adjust your life to the way of life here. That being said, its still one of the murder capitals in the world, so if youre an inexperienced travellers, you wont be safe. Close, Is Honduras Safe for Travel? Gangs exercise territorial control over neighborhoods and extort residents throughout the country. 2023, The Broke Backpacker. The government had granted him protective measures in January 2019. 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. Well be answering super important questions including How safe is Honduras right now? and Is it safe to live in Honduras? We also give loads of tips for solo travelers and families. This social democratic government is declaring war on extorsion, just as it has, since the first day, declared wars on corruption, impunity and drug trafficking," Castro said. The criminal justice system regularly fails to hold those responsible for homicides to account. 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. Keeping yourself away from any situation to do with them will be a good way to keep yourself pretty much safe. CNN Juan Orlando Hernndez, the former president of Honduras, appeared virtually for his initial US court appearance Friday on federal drug trafficking and firearms possession charges.. You can definitely push your luck by staying in the wrong neighborhood as well. Its a wild world out there. Some victims of extortion said that the only thing that has changed is how the money is collected. Sometimes the drivers are assaulted. On average, children living in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador are 10 times more likely to be killed than a child who lives in the United States. You can also visit the island through a guided tour, which will add another layer of safety to your trip. Honduras isnt a gay-friendly country, however, there are some movements that are going in the right direction. 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. SafetyWing is convenient, cheap, and trouble-free Insurance was never this easy! Reaching primary sources and getting the real story involve extensive fieldwork. Well Public transportation can be alittle trickyin Honduras, and its not always safe. Prosecutors and whistleblowers have received death threats. if youre visiting Honduras, you will have to avoid this city completely. Tegucigalpa. Enjoy your travels! Honduras Honduras declares war against gangs - and for control of popular narrative Xiomara Castro's crackdown on gangs is also an attempt to counter allegations the government hasn't done. Prolonged droughts have undermined food production, while in October 2021 a wildfire in the Guanaja region affected thousands. In the 2010s, Honduras' homicide rate skyrocketed, peaking in 2011 and slowly declining since. With all of its branches of government and its armed forces plagued by corruption, Honduras has evolved into a transit nation in which criminal groups, protected by the political system, have developed the capacity to produce cocaine hydrochloride in local laboratories. Every dollar supports our mission. 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 . Gangsplay a big part of life here. We do our best to advise but this info may already be out of date. This is essentially anunsafecountry. Donate now to support the IRC's life-changing work in Honduras, across northern Central America, and worldwide. Of course, you can book a local tour that can look after your safety during your trip, but make sure your research leaves you feeling absolutely confident in the reliability of the tour you choose. In June 2020, a new criminal code came into effect. REUTERS/Fredy Rodriguez/File Photo. Use these tips to reduce the risk, but we also recommend that you pack some medication fit for a bad stomach. Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2017 was 40.98, a 26.23% decline from 2016. Since 2020, the number of Hondurans in need of humanitarian assistance has more than doubled, while food insecurity has increased due to consecutive climate shocks, rising food prices and the economic impacts of COVID-19. Dont put yourself through that stress. 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. 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. Violence has long ruled here. Whether thats with friends and family back home, or with accommodation staff, or both. Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency to fight gang crimes like extortion. There are many daily newspapers in Honduras where that constantly provide the latest updated news and information. San Pedro Sula, Honduras, has been given the unfortunate title of the most dangerous city in the world. Investigations were underway at time of writing. Locals have to pay war taxes which keeps the poverty rate high as well. Thats mainly to visit islands like Roatan. In addition, gang recruitment of minors has contributed to the increasing numbers of families and unaccompanied children leaving Honduras for Mexico, some planning to travel onward to the U.S.. By 2020 they want an additional milliontourists annually. Is Honduras safe for solo female travelers? Share this via LinkedIn And were not going to lie,Honduras doesnt exactly lend itself to solo travel.