- 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. Lots of travelers stick to bottled water,but please dont. To reduce overcrowding in response to the pandemic, the legislature approved alternatives to pretrial detention in June and judges released more than 1,600 people. We are all about smart travel and were here to help you travel smart too. Youre connected. Violent gang activity, such as extortion, violent street crime, rape, and narcotics and human trafficking, is widespread. By MARLON GONZLEZ November 25, 2022. They offer simple & flexible travel insurance, and safety advice to help you travel confidently. TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency to fight gang crimes like extortion. January 26, 2022 At a glance Population: 10.1 million 2.8 million people in need of humanitarian aid A ferry also runs betweenTrujilloandGuanaja. In March 2020, the government declared a state of emergency in response to the pandemic, imposing a lockdown and restricting movement and freedom of expression. Those who work in the transportation sector (taxi and bus drivers) are notable targets of gangs, but many are unable to flee for fear of retaliatory violence against themselves and their . Again, thank you! Journalists, environmental activists, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT). Violent organized crime continues to disrupt Honduran society and push many people to leave the country. Sometimes the drivers are assaulted. If youdo get one in the street, ensure that you tell the taxi driver that you dont want to share the taxi. Suddenly you find yourself surrounded by backpackers, dive shops, hostels, burger shacks, smoothie stands, and pirate bars. 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. The effort comes amid complaints by business owners, the transportation sector and ordinary Hondurans that extortion by criminals has risen in recent months. El Salvador and Honduras have been condemned by the "civilized" world. Inside Honduras' most dangerous gangs 127,396 views Mar 8, 2020 1.2K Dislike Share Save Sky News 5.19M subscribers Warning: this report contains blurred images of dead bodies which some viewers. 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. That means that if you book your accommodation, buy your gear, or sort your insurance through our link, we earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you). Its better for the environment and ends up being more economical in the long run. Already vulnerable people in Honduras live in an evolving humanitarian crisis, says IRC protection coordinator Zuleyma Chahin. The law also sanctions abortion providers. In April, Public Order Military Police (PMOP) officers severely beat three brothers and shot two of themone fatallyfor allegedly violating a curfew in El Paraso in order to sell bread. Honduras and theUS signed anasylum cooperative agreement in 2019, whereby Honduras agreed to receivenon-Honduran asylum-seekerstransferred by the US. Honduras isnt different from lots of other great backpacking countries in that youre never absolutely safe from food-borne illness. Its a mix of European, indigenous and Caribbean influence, and youll love 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. Otherwise, thanks for your ear and stay safe! Living in Honduras means youll have to adjust your life to the way of life here. 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. Some areas are also safer than others. Prosecutors and whistleblowers have received death threats. But it has not yet resulted in an increase in police reports a key measure of public trust. Share this via Printer, As More Climate Chaos Looms, Slashing Fossil Fuels Is Key. The violence is carried out by local drug trafficking groups, gangs, corrupt security forces and transnational criminal organizations mainly from Mexico and Colombia. Plus theres Copan: the ancientMayanarchaeological site, complete with amazing sculptures. Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2018 was 38.93, a 5.01% decline from 2017. With all the threats of violence, theres alow number of tourists, so oddly you can really have anauthentic experiencehere while getting to know Honduran women, too. Of course, being a woman anywhere is going to come with additional risk. Country Summary: Violent crime, such as homicide and armed robbery, is common. Weve made it pretty clear that Honduras isnt the safest country. This is when things can get sketchy. Around 191,000 people were internally displaced between 2004 and 2018, the Honduran government reported, and more than 75,000 Hondurans sought asylum abroad in 2017. Police presented a comprehensive plan to reform laws and ramp up institutional capacity measures that experts believe could have a positive effect long-term but which were pushed aside by the short-term political decision to declare a state of exception. Seth Sidney Berry / SOPA Images/Sipa USA (Sipa via AP Images), Share this via Facebook Politicians are manipulated by criminals or other politicians. Women - Honduras has the fifth-highest rate of violence against women in the world. Sign up to receive the latest updates from U.S News & World Report and our trusted partners and sponsors. Poor health infrastructure and limited access to sanitation services has contributed to the spread of the virus. In June, police detained and beat bus drivers who were allegedly protesting not being able to work due to lockdown restrictions. Thepublic busesconsist ofthe good oldchicken bus. 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 government of Honduras is committed to attracting more tourists. Category 5 hurricanes Eta and Iota hit Honduras in November 2020 and have had enduring impacts on farmersand the public generallyby destroying subsistence farms, killing livestock by the hundreds of thousands and reducing agricultural production. It is not just murder, it's also the shocking numbers of rape, assault, and domestic violence cases, happening with near-total impunity. There are 37 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, and all 18 provinces are. In the 2010s, Honduras' homicide rate skyrocketed, peaking in 2011 and slowly declining since. TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency to fight gang crimes like extortion. Not only that, but thecorruptionin everything the low to the high levels of the politics here is standard. The storms, among other shocks, led to higher levels of food scarcity while weakening the states capacity to cope with displacement. Reaching primary sources and getting the real story involve extensive fieldwork. We are on the frontlines providing critical aid to crisis-affected people in more than 40 countries, including places on the 2022 Emergency Watchlist. It also documented widespread mistreatment of people detained and arrested during the protests. Officials flew Garza, a 48-year-old . The US is losing allies in Latin America just as production of cocaine, fentanyl, and other synthetic drugs is going through the roof. Late Thursday, Honduran President Xiomara Castro proposed a measure to limit constitutional rights so as to round up gang members. There is an expat community inTrujillo. Were not going to say its thesafest place to travel,nor is it going to be the easiestplace to travel as a solo female. Hardline policies, meanwhile, are popular because people think that theyre going to work but inevitably the track record is that they havent, said Malone. Juan Aguilar, 41, and his wife, Margaret Wilson, 39, both of San Leandro, face charges of kidnapping to commit a sex crime, human trafficking of a minor, forcible rape, and forcible oral copulation. Honduras is one of the most important drug trafficking operation centers between South America and Mexico. Despite recent educational advances, around a third of children aged 3-17 did not attend school in 2018, according to the most recent survey by the National Statistics Institute. In June, the OHCHR and IACHR jointly expressed concern that the new penal code disproportionately restricts freedoms of speech, press, and association and fails to criminalize torture committed by third parties acting on behalf of state agents. So whilst its gettingsafer, its a slow process. Dont drink the water without treating, and steer clear of ice cubes,too. So no. It is honestly NOT safe to drink the water in Honduras. For years, street gangs have charged protection money from bus and taxi drivers and store owners in Honduras, as in neighboring El Salvador. Read the entire Travel Advisory. Drug trafficking gangs, corruption, and extreme poverty keep Honduras down. if youre visiting Honduras, you will have to avoid this city completely. Investigating organized crime is an expensive and often risky enterprise. Honduras recorded 3,496 murders in 2020. Womenand girls who terminate pregnancies face prison sentences of up to six years. It included provisions that appeared aimed at reducing penalties for politicians linked to organized crime, by lowering sentences for corruption and related offenses. A law prohibiting same-sex couples from adopting childrentook effect in 2019. People are frisked in Tegucigalpa on 26 November. Allegations that senior politicians had been benefiting financially from the drug trade contributed to the unrest. Some areas have increased risk. In June 2020, a new criminal code came into effect. For example, theBay Islandsaresaferthan the mainland. Xiomara Castros crackdown on gangs is also an attempt to counter allegations the government hasnt done enough to combat crime. The state of emergency, in place 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. 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. 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. 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. There have been protests due tocontested election results in late 2017. La Ceibaon the northern coast, with mountains, jungles, and beaches, is a chilled and adventurous area to explore. 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. Honduran women face daily struggles. Your little ones get to see the Mesoamerican Reef,thesecond largest barrier reef in the world. Support focuses primarily on reintegration into the labor market, rather than assistance for people who fled seeking international protection. Honduras Private Sector and Anti-Extortion Police: An Unholy Alliance? While there were a few violent crime incidents, most travelers have a safe and pleasant stay. Utila is unlike the rest of mainland Honduras in just about every way. As expected, the video went viral and the local newspapers made sure they put this trusted news source on their front page. There are probably more sketchy areas in Honduras than there are safe ones. FromLimonestoLa Union, fromGualacotoSan Esteban,and fromLa EsperanzatoGraciasThese routes can bedangerous. 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. So. All rights reserved. The Inescapable Prison of Barrio 18 in Honduras, Death, Taxes, and Extortion: Why Latin American Companies Keep Paying Up, Timber Mafias - Preying on Latin Americas Forests, State and Community Responses to Extortion, A Mayor and a Wave of Narco Violence on Guatemala's Pacific, One Party, Many Crimes: The Case of Honduras National Party, Drug Trafficking and Political Protection in Paraguay: The Case of Cucho Cabaa, How Colombia Regulators Became Purveyors of Illegal Wood, The Logging Barons of Catacamas, Honduras, How Drug Cartels Moved into Illegal Logging in Mexico, Municipalities Fight Back in Guatemalas Gang-Preyed Upon Neighborhoods, How the Private Sector Helped Counter Rural Extortion in El Salvador. 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. The rate of young people killing other young people is down to twomain gangs:Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) andBarrio 18. 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. Access to health care services was a concern in Honduras prior to the pandemic, particularly for rural and economically marginalized communities. Its a massive issue. Lucky for you,youre not a Honduran citizen. Here's a list of 14: 1. These are the safest islands: Once you get off the ferry in Utila you have officially entered an alternate reality. Judges continue to face interference, including political pressure, threats, and harassment, from the executive branch, private actors with connections to government, and organized crime. Journalists, environmental activists,lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals,and people with disabilities are among the groups targeted forviolence. In fact, according toInSight Crime there has definitely been around a 26% drop in crime since 2016. The data was compiled by Citizen Council for Public Security, Justice, and Peace, a Mexican. Violence in Honduras is usually attributed to gangs and organised crime, but US federal prosecutors have implicated high-level politicians, the military and police in cocaine trafficking to the US . To Desafio, the Barrio 18 gang in Honduras was everything. In September, two men shot and killed journalist Luis Alonzo Almendares in Comayagua. This has a pretty good expat community too. Get your accommodation to either recommenda good company or just book one for you. Following domestic and international criticism, the government backtracked and a week later re-established constitutional free speech guarantees. The new criminal code that came into effect in June 2020 includes new alternative sanctions to detention for some minor crimes that could help reduce the prison population. All that in mind, there are places that expats dolive in Honduras. Half of underage pregnancies result from rape. Expat retirees, yachties, families with kids, and cruise ship tourists make up a large majority of the demographic found on Roatan at any given time. Reconsider travel to Honduras due to crime. At nighttime, you should really get a taxi. Garza is wanted in Honduras for homicide. Theres more nature here than you can shake a stick at. Corruption, no supervision, and poor legislation have led to Latin American military weapons ending up in criminal hands. 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. Just in case, thats No quiero compartir el taxi.. STANTON COUNTY, Neb. We can't put up any longer with workers being killed and paying extortion, Lanza said. Xiomara should hurry up and go after all those gang members, said Isidora Varela, 70, at her market stand in downtown Tegucigalpa. 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. In November 2020, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights heard the case of Vicky Hernndez, a trans woman allegedly extrajudicially executed in 2009. I consent to my personal information being processed in accordance with The Broke Backpackers. We hope these measures work and remain in place.. Share this via Reddit We get it. 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 . The first 2,000 inmates were transferred to El Salvador's new mega-prison for hardcore gangbangers. 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. The information present in this safety guide was accurate at the time of writing, however, the world is a changeable place, now more than ever. This perception has grown despite a slight reduction in homicides this year, according to preliminary data, and a significant drop over the past decade since Honduras held the ignominious title of the worlds most violent country. How Gangs Control Honduras - YouTube 0:00 / 11:46 Sign in to confirm your age This video may be inappropriate for some users. Were not going to lie its pretty sketchy. Here are three reasons the International Rescue Committees Emergency Watchlist ranks Honduras among 20 countries most at risk of worsening humanitarian crisis in 2022. And this area is great for children. The Newton Police Department has arrested three escaped inmates from Scott County, according to Newton police chief, Randy Patrick. EIN number 13-5660870. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Gang violence is widespread in and around urban areas. With those come violenceandpoverty. As of August, prisons had reported 1,700 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 38 deaths. But the thing iswomen DO travel alone 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. People live here with children, by themselves, as couples, some retire here, and some people have even started up their own hostelsor otherbusinesses. Most serious crime does not affect tourists, but attacks on foreigners, including armed robbery and sexual assault, do sometimes occur. And if youre visiting as part of a tour, then youre likely to stay safe. The new criminal code decriminalized defamation, but retains other crimes of honorincluding insult and slanderwhich have been used to prosecute journalists in the past. Instead, buy an eSIM! The government relies heavily on the military for public security. Roatan is the largest of the Honduras Bay Islands. Chances are, if you are arriving via a cruise ship, you will be safe. Security experts are divided on how much the perception is the result of sensationalist media coverage, a real rise, a little of both or simply the continued expansion of a problem that has metastasized for two decades. 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. However, whilst its quite dangerous, the government is promoting tourism in Honduras. Dont expect to discover an undeveloped private island. His unit was headed to the Hole a labyrinthine neighbourhood of narrow streets, whose nickname was originally coined because of its location between sharp hillsides, but which has taken on a new meaning as a place where gang members disappear. 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. In April, the office expressed concern regarding accusations of excesive use of force by state security agents enforcing the governments Covid-19 restrictions. 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. There is limited data on the effectiveness of the program in Honduras. Youll also have to take care that your children dont stay in the sun fortoo long. 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. Honduras has the misfortune of being situated between South American cocaine production and U.S. drug consumption. It suspends some Constitutional rights and gives police more powers to arrest and hold suspects. Read about how e-Sims work or click below to see one of the top eSIM providers on the market andditch the plastic. The coastline of Cedeno, a fishing village in southern Honduras, looks like it was hit by an earthquake - houses, businesses and clubs stand in ruins. Independent travel is going to require A LOT of being careful. Honduras isnt perfectly safe for tourists, but that doesnt mean that you can travel there or have a good time. These. International Rescue Committee is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. 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. 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. But travelers DO take these buses. Honestly? Honduran people are friendly and welcoming. In 2014, the United Nations reported that 95 percent of cases of sexual violence and femicide in Honduras were never even investigated. It might sound like paradiseBut it isnt. Women in Guatemala: The New Faces of Extortion? Violence has long ruled here. So when it comes to safetyin Honduras, we think youllgenerallybe fine, especially in the Bay Islands. 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 Individuals and state agents continute to threaten and attack journalists, press freedom groups report. The new code also includes alternatives to detention for low-level crimes, including partial prison sentences and penalties that allow for conditional release. Some are deprived of full legal capacity and are institutionalized in different settings, including psychiatric hospitals. 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. Public buildings, transportation, and information and communication services open to the public are not fully accessible to people with disabilities. The government bans emergency contraception, known as the morningafter pill, which can prevent pregnancy after rape, unprotected sex, or contraceptive failure. 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. 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. This is due to negotiationsbetween criminal groups and the government, and possibly because of economic aid from the US. That being said, its still one of the murder capitals in the world, so if youre an inexperienced travellers, you wont be safe. Honduras is one of themurder capitalsof the world. The inmates, all from Honduras, had reportedly escaped custody yesterday in Scott County. Police reforms are most successful when theyre coupled with investments in social services and cross-cutting investments to address some of the root causes like poverty and exclusion that can cause crime in the first place, said Mary Malone, a professor at the University of New Hampshire who has studied policing in Central America. Members include officers from the police, the military, and the Attorneys General Office. Many women are choosing to flee the violence in their communities. 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. There's no avoiding violence in Honduras, even at home. 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. This includes 2,838,450 Pfizer doses and 3,250,140 Moderna doses. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? However, More than2 million touristsvisited in 2017. Thats mainly to visit islands like Roatan. In September, the OHCHR and IACHR expressed concern regarding the continued spread of the virus in prisons. Clearly, with the pandemic, that goal wasnt reached, but its not been forgotten either. (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. So youll likely escape having to pay war tax (or facing the consequences). Activistssaythegovernments Mechanism for the Protection of Journalists, Human Rights Defenders and Operators of Justice, created in 2015, lacks uniform criteria and is ineffective. Our work is costly and high risk. During the first month of the measures, 39 criminal gangs were destroyed and 652 people were arrested, while 43 kilos of cocaine and thousands of grams and rocks of crack were seized, the police said.