";s:4:"text";s:20057:"More than half of the men and two-thirds of the women were in pretrial detention, according to official statistics. Weak state institutions and abuses by security forces have contributed to persistent gang violence. On May 30, protesters blocked several main avenues in Tegucigalpa, including access to Toncontn International Airport (TGU). Spurred by anger with the government over accusations of public corruption, allegations of involvement in narcotics trafficking, and efforts to pass controversial education reform, protests and demonstrations were near-daily occurrences at times during 2019. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights reported that authorities at times failed to enforce these requirements effectively. As of September the STSS had an insufficient number of inspectors to enforce the law effectively. The National Human Rights Commission (CONADEH) reported 15 arbitrary or unlawful killings by security forces as of August. TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency to fight gang crimes like extortion. Credit card skimming is common. Drug trafficking and gang activity, which includes local micro-trafficking of narcotics and extortion, are the main causes of violent crime in Honduras. In September, the OAS and Honduras signed an agreement to allow an OAS electoral observation mission to the November elections to elect president, legislators, and local authorities. Civil society continued to criticize the law for classification of documents related to security and national defense, saying it limited transparency and allowed officials to use the classification of documents to obscure wrongdoing. Employers frequently penalized agricultural workers for taking legally authorized days off. For fire and public safety emergencies, dial 911. No cases were reported during the year. CONAPREV reported 13 violent deaths in prisons as of September. Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: unlawful or arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings; torture and cases of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by government agents ; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest or detention; serious restrictions on free expression and media, including threats to media members by criminal elements and the existence of criminal libel laws; serious government corruption; lack of investigation of and accountability for gender-based violence; and crimes involving violence or threats of violence against indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, and against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex persons. The law prohibits all forms of forced labor, but the government did not effectively implement or enforce the law. Child recruitment by gangs has caused many children to flee and abandon school. Hours of Operation: Monday-Thursday, 0730-1630; Friday, 0800-1500, Tel: +504-2236-9320; After Hours: +504-2236-8497, Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/embajadahonduras/, Banco Atlntida Building, 11th Floor, across the street from Central Park, San Pedro Sula, Hours of Operation: Monday-Thursday, 1200-1600, Website: https://hn.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/spsca/. They forcibly recruit children and sexually abuse women, girls, and LGBT people. The IACHR received information on frequent threats of lawsuits and prosecutions, including for slander and libel, hindering human rights work in Honduras. Prosecutors and whistleblowers have received death threats. While there are no areas in major urban cities free of violent crime, notably dangerous locations in Tegucigalpa include the areas surrounding Suyapa Cathedral, downtown Comayagela, downtown Tegucigalpa, and neighborhoods in the outskirts of the city that are generally controlled by gangs. The law provides for freedom of association, and the government generally respected this right. 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 law provides a maximum sentence of three years in prison for disobeying a restraining order connected with the crime of violence against a woman. ; and read the State Departments webpage on, Passengers on public buses have been the victims of robbery at roadblocks and bus stops, during daytime and nighttime hours. Schools were closed in March 2020 and had not yet returned to full in-person classes by September 2021. According to government estimates, children with disabilities attended school at a lower rate than the general population. Although reports of kidnappings have dropped considerably in recent years, they continue to affect both the local and expatriate communities, with victims sometimes paying large ransoms for the prospect of release. Honduras has the 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. Armed robberies, burglaries, vandalization, home invasions, and extortions occur; closely guarded officials, businesspersons, and diplomats are not immune. In 2019, more than 360,000 children between 5 and 17 years old worked, and only half of children under 18 years old attended school, according to the National Statistics Unit. Honduras is one of the Western Hemispheres deadliest countries for journalists, with security forces representing their biggest threat, Reporters Without Borders noted in 2021. The U.S. Embassy estimates at least 30,000 U.S. citizens reside in Honduras. Publishing or
Honduras lacks the infrastructure to maintain water purity and food safety. Some of the worst forms of child labor occurred, including commercial sexual exploitation of children, and NGOs reported that gangs often forced children to commit crimes (see section 6, Children). Many inspectors asked workers to provide them with transportation so that they could conduct inspections, since the STSS could not pay for travel to worksites. The constitution provides for the freedoms of peaceful assembly and association, and the government generally respected these rights. The trial began five years after the prize-winning activist's murder. Major cities connect via an inconsistently maintained, two-lane system of paved roads, with many unpaved secondary roads. Transgender women were particularly vulnerable to employment and education discrimination; many could find employment only as sex workers, increasing their vulnerability to violence and extortion. There is no information to suggest that criminals specifically target U.S. citizens or foreigners. Discrimination occurs against ethnic minorities and the LGBTI+ community. The Honduran National Police wear blue uniforms, while the PMOP normally wear green camouflage. The law permits strikes by workers in export-processing zones and free zones for companies that provide services to industrial parks, but it requires that strikes not impede the operations of other factories in such parks. In addition, Honduras is situated in an active seismic zone, so tremors are to be expected. The current U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory at the date of this reports publication assesses Honduras at Level 3, indicating travelers should reconsider travel due tocrime. See the Department of States International Religious Freedom Report at https://www.state.gov/religiousfreedomreport/. Discrimination is also common in schools, the workplace, and in the home. 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. nonpublic school not seeking state approval louisiana. Gangs, particularly the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and the 18th Street Gang (Barrio 18), are considered largely responsible for Honduras murder rate, and are infamous for extortion and drug peddling. See the Department of States Annual Report on International Parental Child Abduction at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/International-Parental-Child-Abduction/for-providers/legal-reports-and-data/reported-cases.html. The law provides citizens the right to choose their government in free and fair periodic elections held by secret ballot and based on nearly universal and equal suffrage. Detained U.S. citizens should insist on speaking to U.S. Embassy representatives as soon as possible. The government used the pretrial detention center to hold high-profile suspects and those in need of additional security, including police and military officials. The most recent national and local elections were held in November. U.S. citizens have been the victims of a wide range of crimes, including murder, kidnapping, rape, assault, and property crimes. Reach the local police anywhere in Honduras by dialing, . These tensions have resulted in intense protests and violence. It named 21 from Honduras, including former President Porfirio Lobo Sosa (2010-2014), who became ineligible for visas and admission to the US. Share this via Printer. Gangs are not reluctant to use violence, and specialize in murder-for-hire, carjacking, extortion, and other violent street crime. Counterfeit products are predominately but not solely in the pharmaceutical and apparel industries. The government launched a new Ministry of Transparency in November 2020 to address some of these concerns. Monopoly on the use of force '06 '22 10 1 5 6 5 While the nation-state is recognized by the majority of the population as legitimate, deep mistrust continues to exist between the state and significant parts of its citizens. Pandy was a human rights and land rights activist. Vehicles often drive at night without adequate lighting. Serious crime in the city of Ojai was down for the third year in a row in 2022, according to figures released Feb. 22 by the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. In a 2020 survey by UNHCR and UNICEF, half of Hondurans interviewed in Mexico named violence as the main reason for their leaving. Violence against LGBT individuals displaces many internally and forces others to leave the country to seek asylum. -threat location for crime directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests. From 2015 through 2019, authorities arrested 4,196 gang members, the National Police reported. The law criminalizes discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity characteristics and includes crimes committed against individuals because of their sexual orientation or gender identity as aggravating circumstances to increase penalties for criminal offenses. Scuba Certification; Private Scuba Lessons; Scuba Refresher for Certified Divers; Try Scuba Diving; Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox) Advanced Training. The government did not restrict or disrupt access to the internet or censor online content, and there were no credible reports that the government monitored private online communications without appropriate legal authority. Best Buddies Turkey Ekibi; Videolar; Bize Ulan; honduras crime and safety report 2021 27 ub. The STSS completed 29 child labor inspections as of September and identified 13 minors working without permission. The following day, protesters started a fire outside of one of the U.S. Embassys entrances during demonstrations against public-sector reforms in the country. Port agencies have worked to improve taxi service to/from ports. The law provides for freedom of internal movement, foreign travel, emigration, and repatriation, and the government generally respected these rights. The police generally treat detained foreigners well. The safety situation in Honduras has been deteriorating in recent years due to gang violence and organized crime. In May and June of 2022, CLDP will host two workshops in Honduras on customs valuation and communication. In 2018, the government created a special force to fight gangs (Fuerza Nacional Anti Maras y Pandillas), with members from the police, military, and Attorney Generals Office. Asylum seekers and refugees continued to face acute protection risks in border zones. Review OSACs report, The limited capacity of the government to enforce international standards related to natural resource exploitation has resulted in higher levels of conflict in the extractive and electrical generation industries. Media reported prison riots, violent confrontations, and killings between gang members in prisons throughout the year. The law provides for freedom of peaceful assembly, and the government generally respected this right. The Honduras Country Council generally meets monthly on a rotating basis in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula and has approximately 70 members. A wide variety of domestic and international human rights groups generally operated without government restriction, investigating and publishing their findings on human rights cases. The Public Ministry is responsible for prosecuting violations. Honduras is a constitutional, multiparty republic. Fines for child labor were not sufficient to deter violations and not commensurate with penalties for other analogous serious crimes, such as kidnapping. Limited inspections could facilitate movements of terrorists. During 2019, multiple vehicles belonging to U.S. and Honduran employees of the U.S. Embassy were burglarized and/or vandalized on side streets around the Embassy compound. However, there can be communal tension over land ownership, natural resource allocation, and exploitation. Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people in close to 100 countries worldwide, spotlighting abuses and bringing perpetrators to justice, Human Rights Watch is a 501(C)(3)nonprofit registered in the US under EIN: 13-2875808, Internal Displacement, Migration, and Asylum. Since MACCIH left, the Attorney Generals Office has harassed and intimidated the head of its own anti-corruption criminal enterprise office, Prosecutor Luis Javier Santos, and members of his team. Since 2010, there have been approximately 60 murders of U.S. citizens reported in Honduras. Although the law generally prohibits such actions, a legal exception allows government authorities to enter a private residence to prevent a crime or in case of another emergency. in the past 12 months, 32% twice, 6% three times, and 3% more than three times. It stipulates that a prosecutor has 24 additional hours to decide if there is probable cause for indictment, whereupon a judge has 24 more hours to decide whether to issue a temporary detention order. The government has a police investigative unit dedicated to investigating violent crimes against the LGBTI+ and other vulnerable communities, composed of Public Ministry prosecutors, members of ATIC (prosecutors investigative agency), and the Honduran National Police; however, it has limited resources and functions primarily in the major urban areas. In February, the US announced suspension and planned termination of the asylum cooperative agreement signed with Honduras in 2019, whereby Honduras had agreed to receive non-Honduran asylum-seekers transferred from the US. (white sedan taxis with a sticker on the windshield denoting its established route), (private white sedan taxis with no established routes), and, (small buses that pick up multiple riders). Media noted that family members often faced long delays or were unable to visit detainees. CONADEH received four reports as of August. There were credible reports that members of the security forces committed some abuses. Many prisons lacked sufficient security personnel. Reproductive Rights: There were no reports of coerced abortion or involuntary sterilization on the part of government authorities. It was unclear how many of these threats were related to the victims professions or activism. Counterfeit U.S. currency is also common. However, many petitions for pandemic release have been rejected. The government provided victims of sexual violence access to other health-care services. For more in-depth information, review OSACs Honduras country page for original OSAC reporting, consular messages, and contact information, some of which may be available only to private-sector representatives with an OSAC password. Participation of Women and Members of Minority Groups: No laws limit the participation of women or members of minority groups in the political process, and they did participate. Diarrheal illness is very common even in large cities and luxury accommodations. The change increases the penalty from two to four years to four to six years. The law requires individuals and companies that employ more than 20 school-age children at their facilities to provide a location for a school. Regulations for implementing the law remained under development as of November. Such an order may be effective for up to six days, after which the judge must hold a pretrial hearing to examine whether there is probable cause to continue pretrial detention. The Public Ministry reported seven cases of alleged illegal detention or arbitrary arrest as of September. These deaths included several in San Pedro Sula and La Ceiba involving U.S. citizens murdered shortly after arriving in the country. The prosecution may request an additional six-month extension, but many detainees remained in pretrial detention much longer, including for more time than the maximum period of incarceration for their alleged crime. If the STSS grants permission, children between 14 and 16 may work a maximum of four hours a day, and those between 16 and 18 may work up to six hours a day. Violence was often rooted in a broader context of conflict over land and natural resources, extensive corruption, lack of transparency and community consultation, other criminal activity, and limited state ability to protect the rights of vulnerable communities. They called for implementation of protective measures. Local, Regional, and International Terrorism Threats/Concerns. Civil unrest in Tegucigalpa and other parts of Honduras remains a constant challenge. This is an annual report produced in conjunction with the Regional Security Office at the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa. Security In Transit: Airplanes, Public Transport, and Overnights. Both the STSS and the courts may order a company to reinstate workers, but the STSS lacked the personnel and transportation resources to verify compliance. The law does not criminalize domestic violence but provides penalties of up to 12 years in prison for violence against a family member, depending on the severity of the assault and aggravating circumstances. The government has also begun implementing a series of police reforms; it has formed groups such as the National Inter-Agency Security Task Force (FUSINA) and the National Anti-Gang Task Force (FNAMP) to combat crime. Those traveling with tour/missionary groups report fewer criminal incidents. There were different methodologies to measure the size of the informal economy, and a March 2020 UNDP report estimated that 82 percent of workers were part of the informal economy. Although Honduras has made some progress, many perceive the property registration system as unreliable and a constraint on investment, particularly in the Bay Islands. Some passengers opt to travel armed when using public transportation, which sometimes results in armed confrontations where innocent bystanders are injured or killed in the crossfire. The government did not effectively enforce these laws and regulations, although penalties were commensurate with laws related to civil rights, such as election interference. Total "Part 1" crimes violent crimes of homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; and property crimes of burglary, theft and . Honduras voted in favor of an OAS resolution rejecting Venezuelas December 2020 elections, which have been widely considered fraudulent. ";s:7:"keyword";s:37:"honduras crime and safety report 2022";s:5:"links";s:181:"Vanceboro, Nc Obituaries,
Articles H
";s:7:"expired";i:-1;}