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. People here live in pretty supreme poverty 60%of the population living in poverty really isa lot of people. But traveling there is possible, of course. Since 2010, 42. Its better for the environment and ends up being more economical in the long run. Since 2012, the Honduran police have implemented a program sponsored by the US Department of State called Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) which aims to discourage youth crime and gang recruitment. 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. 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 . Share this via WhatsApp At nighttime, you should really get a taxi. Honduras recorded 3,496 murders in 2020. As of August, prisons had reported 1,700 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 38 deaths. Honduras - Organized Crime News - InSight Crime Then there are quite a lot of gang wars as well. 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. There are private coach servicesthat connect cities and towns that are usually moremaintained and more comfortable than the chicken buses. And people do go. Get the latest news about the IRC's innovative programs, compelling stories about our clients and how you can make a difference. Especiallythrough a tour company. Even if they graduate high school, they can't get a job." 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. Poor health infrastructure and limited access to sanitation services has contributed to the spread of the virus. Namely, being robbed. Transgender woman activist killed in Honduras Gender-based violence in Honduras is also among the highest in the region and has increased during the pandemic. And theyre generally safe. But if you meet the local ladies andlearn about their livesyoure going to have a VERY enriching experience on your hands. The criminal justice system regularly fails to hold those responsible for homicides to account. It may have improved it actually. The inmates, all from Honduras, had reportedly escaped custody yesterday in Scott County. 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. Youll need to be a confident traveler. 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. 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. Honduras partially suspends constitutional rights to tackle gangs, Its a war on the people: El Salvadors mass arrests send thousands into despair, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. We are going to be covering a whole lot of topics in this epic Honduras safety guide. 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. Late Thursday, Honduran President Xiomara Castro proposed a measure to limit constitutional January 26, 2022 At a glance Population: 10.1 million 2.8 million people in need of humanitarian aid 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. There is no such thing as a perfect safety guide, and this article is no different. Planning a safe trip to Honduras can get quite overwhelming. Its prettyextreme. 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. We are going to eradicate extortion in every corner of our country.. 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. El Salvador and Honduras's response to chaos That said, the governmentclaimsthere has been a 52%decreasein violent crime over the past five years. 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. Latest News Profile Criminal Actors Investigations News Latest News FromLimonestoLa Union, fromGualacotoSan Esteban,and fromLa EsperanzatoGraciasThese routes can bedangerous. 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. 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. SafetyWing is convenient, cheap, and trouble-free Insurance was never this easy! Gangs, particularly the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and the 18th Street Gang (Barrio 18), are considered to be largely responsible for Honduras murder rate, and are infamous for extortion and drug peddling. There are definitely a fair few pros to solo travel. Its not very safe to drive in Honduras. And for transparencys sake, please know that some of the links in our content are affiliate links. Honduras is exposed to other climate shocks as well. And were not going to lie,Honduras doesnt exactly lend itself to solo travel. Violent gang activity, such as extortion, violent street crime, rape, and narcotics and human trafficking, is widespread. Its just that easy. Already vulnerable people in Honduras live in an evolving humanitarian crisis, says IRC protection coordinator Zuleyma Chahin. But the thing iswomen DO travel alone to Honduras. They practice war taxing, which is essentially just demanding money from people. 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 Profile - InSight Crime Get your accommodation to either recommenda good company or just book one for you. Dont hitchhike ortake lifts from strangers , Other ways to meet fellow travelers and. 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 . And this area is great for children. You can definitely push your luck by staying in the wrong neighborhood as well. Seth Sidney Berry / SOPA Images/Sipa USA (Sipa via AP Images), Share this via Facebook Share this via LinkedIn 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. Some areas have increased risk. Itcan be safe as a solo female traveler in Honduras. Honduras and theUS signed anasylum cooperative agreement in 2019, whereby Honduras agreed to receivenon-Honduran asylum-seekerstransferred by the US. The food in Honduras is super tasty. In January 2020, the government shut down the Mission to Support the Fight against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH). Because of human rights, crime has gone on so long, because human rights defend the criminal, and it shouldnt be like that, she said. Radio taxisare always a better option than hailing one off the street. This new donation is in addition to the 81,900 doses of Pfizer . via REUTERS. Otherwise, thanks for your ear and stay safe! The vaccine doses arrived in the Honduran capital on October 4 2021. 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. But if the peace in the condemning nations were to rupture the way it has in El Salvador and Honduras, we can bet they . 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.. It might sound like paradiseBut it isnt. Alongside her husband, Sasha, she co-founded the. An eSIM works just like an app: you buy it, you download it, and BOOM! 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. Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2018 was 38.93, a 5.01% decline from 2017. Violence against LGBT individuals forces many to leave their homes, fleeing internally or leaving the country to seek asylum. World Nomads mission is to support and encourage travellers to explore their boundaries. The violence is carried out by local drug trafficking groups, gangs, corrupt security forces and transnational criminal organizations mainly from Mexico and Colombia. Since the end of the last decade, political protection has allowed the traditional drug trafficking groups to flourish. And what you had, you know, after the coup, while the U.S. did cut assistance, it was very. It has experienced one of the world's highest homicide rates, with multiple forms of violence linked to drug trafficking groups. TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency to fight gang crimes like extortion. A quarter of women and girls become pregnant before turning 18the second-highest rate in Latin America. Of 25,000 gang members in 2012, nearly a fifth were children, UNICEF estimated. Im nervous, repeated a young police officer driving a pickup truck crowded with heavily armed special forces officers. 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. We get it. Share this via Reddit Honduras International Travel Information We provide cash to help people meet basic needs. The US is losing allies in Latin America just as production of cocaine, fentanyl, and other synthetic drugs is going through the roof. Thats why we listed the no-go areas in Honduras below. Part 1: Cycles of violence in Honduras - Doctors Without Borders 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. Prolonged droughts have undermined food production, while in October 2021 a wildfire in the Guanaja region affected thousands. 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. Locals have to pay war taxes which keeps the poverty rate high as well. There have been protests due tocontested election results in late 2017. Please donate. It is honestly NOT safe to drink the water in Honduras. In fact, according toInSight Crime there has definitely been around a 26% drop in crime since 2016. News & Events - U.S. Embassy in Honduras Radio Globo directorDavid Romero, convicted of defamation in 2016, died in prison from Covid-19 in July. Honduras deploys soldiers on anti-crime patrols InSight Crime's 2022 Homicide Round-Up covers more countries than ever before, with a major expansion into nations of the Caribbean. 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. Whilst many people DO live here, it doesnt mean Honduras is safe to live. Garza is wanted in Honduras for homicide. There are an estimated 115,000 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. That said, we only link to the gear we trust and never recommend services we dont believe are up to scratch. Donate now to support the IRC's life-changing work in Honduras, across northern Central America, and worldwide. The government had granted him protective measures in January 2019. 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. 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. Instead, buy an eSIM! The Covid-19 pandemic has further limited access to education for many children. 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. TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras -- Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency to fight gang crimes like extortion. It provided a family, a sense of belonging. Thats why weve listed and answered the most frequently asked questions on safety in Honduras. Honduras declares state of emergency against gang crime - ABC News Gang violence is widespread in and around urban areas. (Reporting by Orfa Mejia in Tegucigalpa; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Leslie Adler). San Pedro Sula, Honduras, has been given the unfortunate title of the most dangerous city in the world. Women in Honduras face high levels of gender-based violence. Click here to read the full story: 6 gang members killed in Honduras prison. So, yeah. Clearly, with the pandemic, that goal wasnt reached, but its not been forgotten either. The government has set up roadblocks, deployed security forces, and used violence to prevent people from leaving the country. All of these are in Santa Barbara Department, which also sees hijackings aroundTela, La Ceiba, andEl Progresoas well asTrujillo. 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. That being said, its still one of the murder capitals in the world, so if youre an inexperienced travellers, you wont be safe. Honduran illegal immigrant who lied to border authorities sentenced in Honduras has freed dozens of individuals tied to organized crime a year after reforming its money laundering law. In June, police detained and beat bus drivers who were allegedly protesting not being able to work due to lockdown restrictions. (KCAU) The Stanton County Sheriff's Office said that they've cited two men who allegedly killed an American Bald Eagle. Honduras Extends, Expands State of Emergency Meant to Fight Crime Gang violence is a big issue in Honduras. Read the entire Travel Advisory. Investigations were underway at time of writing. Roatan RE/MAX Newsletter - security/safety/crime Seeing the world without anyone to answer to, getting to challenge yourself andgrow as a person. There is only anecdotal evidence of the scale of the problem because so few extortion victims report the crime, making a statistical analysis impossible. These. 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. Since June, 2021 the United States has shared 6,088,590 safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine doses with the people of Honduras - free of cost. The effort comes amid complaints by business owners, the transportation sector and ordinary Hondurans that extortion by criminals has risen in recent months. And if youre visiting as part of a tour, then youre likely to stay safe. Members of the military police of public order get ready during a special operation in Tegucigalpa on 6 December. Corruption, poor governance, and. Anyone else would do well with a trusted tour group. 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). Theres more nature here than you can shake a stick at. Do your own research. Nevertheless, the political gains to be had from emulating Bukeles hardline policies may be too enticing to pass up. Share this via Email Youll be able to travel around here with relative ease. Were not going to lie its pretty sketchy. They forcibly recruit children and sexually abuse women, girls, and LGBT people. It may not exactly be classed as safe, but Honduras shouldnt be ignored. More than half of detained men and two-thirds of detained women were in pretrial detention. 18th Street gang - Wikipedia