Honduras Private Sector and Anti-Extortion Police: An Unholy Alliance? We hope these measures work and remain in place.. This has a pretty good expat community too. Youll most likely get watered-down versions of Honduran food and Western stuff. Get fresh updates on organized crime from across the region delivered to your inbox. The likelihood of you getting caught up in all that relies very much on you being somehow related to one of the gangs. 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. The crime rates are improving and the government is putting a lot of effort into attracting more tourists. Honduras has freed dozens of individuals tied to organized crime a year after reforming its money laundering law. By 2020 they want an additional milliontourists annually. As of August 2020, more than 21,000 people were detained in prisons with capacity for just under 11,000. It pays totravel smartin Honduras like ANYWHERE in the world. It has experienced one of the world's highest homicide rates, with multiple forms of violence linked to drug trafficking groups. 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. And watch out for bad road conditions after heavy rain. Police raid a house in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on 8 December. The measure must still be approved by Congress. Abortionisillegalin Honduras in all circumstances. It might sound like paradiseBut it isnt. And that is pretty cool. Youll need to be a confident traveler. Wed,03/01/23-8:26AM, 3 Reads. Members include officers from the police, the military, and the Attorneys General Office. Some areas are also safer than others. Honduras. Also in February, the OAS special rapporteur on freedom of expression called on Honduras to decriminalize defamation and to properly investigate killings of journalists. There are probably more sketchy areas in Honduras than there are safe ones. The state of emergency, in place Feb. 21, 2023, at 6:11 p.m. Honduras Extends, Expands State of Emergency for Second Time. Even if they graduate high school, they can't get a job." 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. Wed say only experienced, intrepid travelers should tackle this one alone. Patrick said the inmates were captured about 7:45 AM in downtown Newton. All of these are in Santa Barbara Department, which also sees hijackings aroundTela, La Ceiba, andEl Progresoas well asTrujillo. LGBTpeople in Honduras are frequently the targets of violence and discrimination, according to Human Rights Watch research. REUTERS/Fredy Rodriguez/File Photo. In September, the OHCHR and IACHR expressed concern regarding the continued spread of the virus in prisons. To make sure youre having a successful trip, weve listed the safest, and the no-go areas below. But traveling there is possible, of course. Late Thursday, Honduran President Xiomara Castro proposed a measure to limit constitutional 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. 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. In Honduras, one of the most violent countries in the world, 60 percent of deaths are attributed to organized crime. Gang violence is widespread in and around urban areas. The U.S. government estimates that approximately 4% of all cocaine shipments from South America passed through Honduras by air or sea in 2019 of cocaine, equivalent to a U.S. street value of over $11.5 billion at current rates. Share this via LinkedIn But it was not a tremor, nor a tsunami. It was a show: a show of force following the example set by the hardline policies of neighbouring El Salvador, where President Nayib Bukele has led a controversial crackdown on gangs that has led to the detention of more than 2% of its adult population. Honduras isnt a gay-friendly country, however, there are some movements that are going in the right direction. Extortion in Latin America continues to bring in fortunes for criminal gangs. The government relies heavily on the military for public security. Gang violence is a big issue in Honduras. So youll likely escape having to pay war tax (or facing the consequences). 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. Im nervous, repeated a young police officer driving a pickup truck crowded with heavily armed special forces officers. Corruption, poor governance, and. Dont put yourself through that stress. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, File), Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. There are high levels of crime in Honduras. Corruption, fear of retribution, and limited access to essential health services . 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. And this area is great for children. A woman is killed every 23 hours on average, the National Autonomous University of Honduras Violence Observatory reports. - 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. Sat Navs might not always tell you the best route. While Honduras is not seeing the political armed conflict common in most Watchlist countries this year, criminal gang violence is widespread. Click here to read the full story: 6 gang members killed in Honduras prison. 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. Share this via Telegram Is your phone eSIM ready? You will have to agree on a pricebefore you get in. Share this via Email Tegucigalpa. STANTON COUNTY, Neb. 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. 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. Please support our mission investigating organized crime. So no. Its a country with a big heart. 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. Many people do travel to this particular part of Honduras,even with their families. In 2018, the government created a special force to fight gangs (Fuerza Nacional Anti Maras y pandillas). Here, you will find safety knowledge and advice for travelling Honduras. Two private security officers were charged. Prosecutors and whistleblowers have received death threats. Lucky for you,youre not a Honduran citizen. Honduras has been through a lot in recent years. via REUTERS. 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. Nevertheless, the political gains to be had from emulating Bukeles hardline policies may be too enticing to pass up. The first 2,000 inmates were transferred to El Salvador's new mega-prison for hardcore gangbangers. 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. But the thing iswomen DO travel alone to Honduras. Clearly, with the pandemic, that goal wasnt reached, but its not been forgotten either. We are all about smart travel and were here to help you travel smart too. 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. 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. Of course, while it's not ever good to generalize an. Honduran soldiers wearing facemasks guard the entrance to the city of San Pedro Sula during the coronavirus crisis on April 17, 2020. Many women are choosing to flee the violence in their communities. For years, street gangs have charged protection money from bus and taxi drivers and store owners in Honduras, as in neighboring El Salvador. January 26, 2022 At a glance Population: 10.1 million 2.8 million people in need of humanitarian aid 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. Lots of travelers stick to bottled water,but please dont. Close, Is Honduras Safe for Travel? Honduras isnt perfectly safe for tourists, but that doesnt mean that you can travel there or have a good time. Hardline policies, meanwhile, are popular because people think that theyre going to work but inevitably the track record is that they havent, said Malone. 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. Honduras declared the state of exception for 30 days in 162 neighborhoods, some politicians have already called for it to be extended in duration and territory. Donate now to support the IRC's life-changing work in Honduras, across northern Central America, and worldwide. This helps keep everyone in poverty. A ferry also runs betweenTrujilloandGuanaja. Transgender woman activist killed in Honduras It is honestly NOT safe to drink the water in Honduras. Namely, being robbed. Weve made it pretty clear that Honduras isnt the safest country. There have been protests due tocontested election results in late 2017. In the streets where insecurity lurks around each corner, many ordinary Hondurans want to see extreme measures human rights be damned and believe that anything short of that is not enough. Its not very safe to drive in Honduras. But like any war, it isnt just a battle against an enemy, but also for control of the popular narrative in this case, an attempt to counter allegations that the government has not done enough to combat rampant crime. Were not going to lie its pretty sketchy. San Pedro Sula, Honduras, has been given the unfortunate title of the most dangerous city in the world. In June 2020, a new criminal code came into effect. You can definitely push your luck by staying in the wrong neighborhood as well. Honduras is exposed to other climate shocks as well. You can catch a ferry from the mainland atLa Ceibato eitherUtilaorRoatan. 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. Seeing the world without anyone to answer to, getting to challenge yourself andgrow as a person. The government had granted him protective measures in January 2019. However, if you decide to travel independently, youll face quite a few challenges. As expected, the video went viral and the local newspapers made sure they put this trusted news source on their front page. Earlier this year, Honduras appeared set to follow an example set by another neighbor, Nicaragua, whose community-based policing approach was for years hailed for maintaining exceptionally low crime rates and minimal gang presence until the government turned the police into a repressive force against the people amid widespread protests in 2018. Between December 2019, when prisons were placed under military control, and September 2020, 54 people died in eight prison incidents, the IACHR and OHCHR report. But nongovernmental organizations have tallied several thousand human rights violations and at least 80 in-custody deaths of people arrested during the state of exception. For now, there are 15,000 taxis who want your attention. From 2011 to 2017, the number of killings in Honduras actually dropped, from 87 per 100,000 to 44. Trump, who is running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, announced a slate of futuristic new policies in a campaign video Friday. 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. 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. And taxi driversprobably wont have enough change to cover a big bill, socarry small denominations. The criminal justice system regularly fails to hold those responsible for homicides to account. To Desafio, the Barrio 18 gang in Honduras was everything. Its better for the environment and ends up being more economical in the long run. 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. 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. In fact, most people in Honduras have a family member in a gang. Read more about the top 10 crises the world cant ignore in 2022, learn how the IRC selected these countries, and download the full 2022 Emergency Watchlist report for data citations and profiles of all 20 crisis countries on the IRC's list. So backpacking Honduras isnt always just a breeze. For years, street gangs have charged protection money from bus and taxi drivers and store owners in Honduras, as in neighboring El Salvador. The US is losing allies in Latin America just as production of cocaine, fentanyl, and other synthetic drugs is going through the roof. Dont expect to discover an undeveloped private island. Its not 100% safe in Honduras. Activistssaythegovernments Mechanism for the Protection of Journalists, Human Rights Defenders and Operators of Justice, created in 2015, lacks uniform criteria and is ineffective. It provided a family, a sense of belonging. Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2019 was 42.01, a 7.91% increase from 2018. Prisons saw significant Covid-19 outbreaks. But if you meet the local ladies andlearn about their livesyoure going to have a VERY enriching experience on your hands. Locals drive atcrazy speeds on the highways, there are random toll roads that make the cost high (but if you dont take them, alternative routes are often not paved), and there are animals on the road. 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. Theres no reason to get mixed up with a gang in Honduras. 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. Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. Honduras recorded 3,496 murders in 2020. Not all U.S. presidents are missed once they leave the White House. One good thing I can say about Roatan is that the dive sites are excellent around the island. TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency to fight gang crimes like extortion. Not really. That said, the development that has taken place has not totally sucked the island dry of its charm. Just in case, thats No quiero compartir el taxi.. Again, thank you! generally, if youre visiting with a guided tour, you should be fine. That means suncream, sun-hats, and limiting time in the sun. 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. Chatting to them means getting first-hand knowledge, and means your experience is going to be a lot richer. Gangsplay a big part of life here. 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. 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. Following domestic and international criticism, the government backtracked and a week later re-established constitutional free speech guarantees. 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 September, two men shot and killed journalist Luis Alonzo Almendares in Comayagua. Theres more nature here than you can shake a stick at. Overcrowding, inadequate nutrition, poor sanitation, beatings, intra-gang violence, and detainee killings are endemic in prisons. 18th Street, also known as Calle 18, Barrio 18, Mara 18, or simply La 18 in Central America, is a multi-ethnic (largely Central American and Mexican) transnational criminal organization that started as a street gang in Los Angeles.It is one of the largest transnational criminal gangs in Los Angeles, with 65,000 members between the United States, Mexico, and Central America and is also allied . We also provide critical, up-to-date information and support from trained moderators through CuntaNos, a digital platform that is part of the Global Signpost project. If youdo get one in the street, ensure that you tell the taxi driver that you dont want to share the taxi. Well Public transportation can be alittle trickyin Honduras, and its not always safe. Heres what you need to know about the growing crisis in Honduras. You basically pay for safety, but better safe than sorry wed say. That means getting used to gangs, violence, and corruption. It suspends some Constitutional rights and gives police more powers to arrest and hold suspects. La Ceibaon the northern coast, with mountains, jungles, and beaches, is a chilled and adventurous area to explore. How to tackle it is another issue. The new code also includes alternatives to detention for low-level crimes, including partial prison sentences and penalties that allow for conditional release. Women in Guatemala: The New Faces of Extortion? 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.