The violence is carried out by local drug trafficking groups, gangs, corrupt security forces and transnational criminal organizations mainly from Mexico and Colombia. Mass protests and the government's heavy-handed response have damaged the economy and sparked deadly . "The issue of gender-based violence is a central human rights issue. Avoid non-essential travel to the following areas and departments due to instances of violent crime, increased gang activity and violent demonstrations: within 20 km of the border with Guatemala with the exception of Copn Ruinas. Seek legal representation before admitting or signing any legal form that acknowledges culpability. Incidents of crime along roads, including carjacking and kidnapping, are common in Honduras. The government did not provide an update on its investigation of alleged sexual exploitation of a female prisoner in a correctional facility from the previous year. While many protests remain relatively peaceful, demonstrations can escalate into violent confrontations with the police resulting in destruction to public and private property. LGBTI+ travelers should exercise caution, especially when expressing affection in public. Perpetrators of sexual assaults are often armed. As of August 2020, more than 21,000. Widespread poverty and unemployment, along with significant street gang and drug trafficking activity, have contributed to the extremely high crime rate. You travel at your own risk and no warranties or guarantees are provided by us. There are few U.S.- educated physicians in Tegucigalpa. Overall corruption helped facilitate trafficking crimes. Incidents of piracy off the coast of Honduras can occur. Download the State Departments Crime Victims Assistance brochure. The last two years have shone an unflattering light . UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights, and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people.. In June, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights found that Honduras had violated the rights to life and personal integrity of Vicky Hernndez, a transgender woman, sex worker and activist killed during the 2009 coup. In addition to complying with local laws, companies involved in natural resource extraction or energy generation should ensure they fully consult with communities in accordance with international standards. Since 2010, Honduras has had one of the highest per capita murder rates in the world, ranging between 59 and 86 per 100,000 according to the U.S. Department of State. Total Local Production. There is no evidence suggesting criminals specifically target U.S. citizens, but foreigners have been targeted for crime due to their perceived wealth. Driving in Honduras can be dangerous. As a result of Honduran government efforts in close cooperation with the United States, homicide rates have fallen from 86.0 per 100,000 residents in 2012 to 43.6 per 100,000 at the end of 2019. Review the State Departments webpage on insurance overseas. It is also recommended that drivers vary their routes and schedules so as to not create a predictable routine. and the scope of organized crime in Honduras. Everything you need to know about human rights in Honduras - Amnesty Highlights July 27, 2022: Student Reports of Bullying: Results from the 2019 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey July 12, 2022: Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools in 2019-20: Findings from the School Survey on Crime and Safety June 28, 2022: Until his life grew increasingly violent. However, protesters will also block, key intercity transportation routes and intracity intersections with burning tires, rocks and other debris, to include the roads leading to the international airports in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, and the CA-5 and CA-11 highways. the Copan Mayan ruins and Roatn). The women who have lost their lives violently this year are women who can no longer contribute to the economy and development of Honduras", she regretted. Level of crime: 66.67: High: Crime increasing in the past 3 years: 78.57: . Local, Regional, and International Terrorism Threats/Concerns. Authorities reported restrictions implemented to mitigate the pandemic impeded investigations in commercial venues where trafficking has been known to occur and slowed investigations and prosecutions of trafficking crimes. Honduras | World | The Guardian Is Roatn Safe - Is it Safe for Tourists to Travel on the Island of Roatn? According to the International Rescue Committee, femicides are a major concern in Honduras. Sources indicate that organized criminal organizations have been . CICESCT sustained its efforts to provide immediate protection to victims and coordinate additional services among other stakeholders without interruption throughout the pandemic. Earlier. Crime in Roatan, Honduras. Local police and emergency services lack sufficient resources to respond effectively to serious crime. Responding police fired tear gas in and around the main terminal to regain control after protesters entered the building and airport grounds. The government convicted 14 traffickers, including 10 for sex trafficking, two for forced labor, and two for both sex trafficking and forced labor, compared with 34 traffickers convicted in 2019 (33 for sex trafficking/procuring commercial sex acts and one for forced labor) and 16 traffickers (including six for procuring commercial sex acts) convicted in 2018. Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2017 was 40.98, a 26.23% decline from 2016. The government maintained prevention efforts. Central Intelligence Agency - The World Factbook - Honduras. The government has established a special tourist police in the resort town of Tela and other tourist destinations including Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, La Ceiba, and Roatan, but the number of tourist police deployed is small and coverage is limited. The Honduran government is modernizing some of the main transportation road networks to four-lane highways, which can lead to increased travel times because of ongoing construction. Review OSACs report, Understanding the Consular Travel Advisory System. The UNSDG guides, supports, tracks and oversees the coordination of development operations in 162 countries and territories. It is urgent to pass the law on safe houses where women who manage to get away from violent situations are taken care of. However, the government lacked formal procedures for identifying victims among children apprehended for gang-related criminal activity. The 18th Street and MS-13 (Mara Salvatrucha) gangs are the most active and powerful. In accordance with the governments intersectoral protocol on victim protection, CICESCT coordinated with relevant government institutions and NGOs to provide additional services to victims, including mental health counseling, legal services, medical care, lodging, food, family reintegration, and repatriation. Meanwhile, 59% reported having been assaulted at least once while a passenger in a taxi (Colectivo and Rolatero) in the past 12 months, 32% twice, 6% three times, and 3% more than three times. Read more about the coordinated response to COVID-19. Most of these attacks involved gang members demanding extortion payments. OSAC Most cruise line passengers experience no problems, but there have been reports of associated armed robbery and carjacking. 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. NGOs reported authorities did not properly identify children forced to engage in illegal activities by criminal groups, reporting that the government may have inappropriately treated such children as criminals instead of victims. Many activists report that crimes committed against the LGBTI+ community go unpunished. Amend the penal code to ensure the penalties prescribed for trafficking crimes are commensurate with the penalties prescribed for other grave crimes, such as rape. The government maintained a specialized anti-trafficking prosecution unit, but experts observed the unit remained understaffed and lacked sufficient resources to investigate and prosecute trafficking crimes. Corruption and official complicity in trafficking crimes remained significant concerns, inhibiting law enforcement action during the year. Increase efforts to identify victims, including among particularly vulnerable populations such as adult migrants, and provide assistance to all victims, including forced labor victims. The government initially allocated 8.93 million lempiras ($357,150) to CICESCT but later decreased its actual disbursement to 6.18 million lempiras ($247,020) due to pandemic-related funds redistribution and budget cuts. As a result of Honduran government efforts in close cooperation with the United States, homicide rates have fallen from 86.0 per 100,000 residents in 2012 to 43.6 per 100,000 at the end of 2019. These crimes may have been the result of tips from sources surveilling the airport arrival area. There are an estimated 7,000-10,000 gang members in a country with an approximate population of ten million people. Find contact information for available medical services and available air ambulance services on the U.S. Embassy/Consulate website. The Honduras Country Council generally meets monthly on a rotating basis in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula and has approximately 70 members. Cattrachas, a lesbian feminist human rights group in Honduras's capital of Tegucigalpa, said 405 LGBTQ people have been reported killed in the country since 2009, according to the Blade. Roatn and the Bay Islands are geographically separate from the mainland and experience lower crime rates even when compared with other Caribbean islands. Animals and people wander onto the roads. Cruise ship industry contacts report that approximately one million U.S. citizens enter the country by ship every year, primarily in Roatn, but also in La Ceiba on the northern coast. Learn about employment opportunities across the UNSDG. honduras crime and safety report 2022 - rccw.rocks La Ceiba, Trujillo) and major hotels; other tourist installations have increased private and police security. Authorities initiated prosecutions of nine suspects (seven for sex trafficking and two for forced labor), compared with 55 initiated in 2019 (53 for sex trafficking including procuring commercial sex acts and two for forced labor) and 35 in 2018. Increase investigations, prosecutions, and convictions of suspected traffickers, including complicit officials and forced labor crimes. Home. The UN takes all reports of possible wrongdoing seriously. Humanitarian Assistance: Since April 2021, USAID reached approximately 1.9 million people impacted by recurrent droughts, COVID-19, and severe damage from Hurricanes Eta and Iota in northern. There is street crime even in gated communities commonly referred to locally as Barrio Seguros; these are generally safer areas in which to reside because of their heightened security measures. The U.S. Department of State has assessed Tegucigalpa as being a LOW-threat location for terrorism directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests. Even when traffic signals are working, drivers often ignore them. They practice "war taxing", which is essentially just demanding money from people. There have been frequent incidents of carjacking and highway robbery on a number of roads including the main highway (CA-5) between San Pedro Sula and Siguatepeque, with the greatest risk between Potrerillos and Pito Solo in the lake area. Not only are the bootlegs illegal in the United States, if you purchase them you may also be breaking local law and be subject to local penalties. Weather Alert for U.S. Citizens - Tropical Storm Julia (7 October, 2022) Message for U.S. Citizens: Absentee Voting Week is October 1-8, 2022 (28 September, 2022) Message for U.S. Citizens: Town Hall with Ambassador Dogu and Consular Services also Available in Roatan, Honduras (14 September, 2022) Labor inspectors did not identify any suspected trafficking cases in 2020. My decision was to die." In Honduras, the United Nations is committed to continue working together with a wide range ofsectors of the country in achieving a more just and equitable society, where it isnt dangerous to be a woman. Traffickers particularly target LGBTQI+ Hondurans, migrants, IDPs, persons with disabilities, children in child labor, children whose parents have migrated, and individuals living in areas controlled by organized criminal groups. Regional advisory - Avoid non-essential travel. About Us; Staff; Camps; Scuba. One should confirm content prior to traveling from other reliable sources. Crime Information for Tourists in Honduras Crime is widespread in Honduras and requires a high degree of caution by U.S. visitors and residents alike. The law on safe houses, which has been stalled in the National Congress since 2018, aims to recognize and fund safe houses to provide care for survivors of multiple forms of violence, ensuring their wellbeing and that of their families. It is not only women who must strengthen a social movement that contributes to breaking gender stereotype paradigms and cycles of sexism that lead to gender-based violence. The government demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period, considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its anti-trafficking capacity; therefore Honduras remained on Tier 2. Airlines estimate that approximately 250,000 U.S. citizens flew into Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, or Roatn in 2019. UNODC collects data on crime and the operation of criminal justice systems in order to make policy-relevant information and analysis available in a timely manner to the international community.