honduras crime and safety report 2021

Respect for the Integrity of the Person, a. See the Department of States International Religious Freedom Report at https://www.state.gov/religiousfreedomreport/. Although 74 percent of births were attended by skilled health care personnel, NGOs reported significant gaps in obstetric care, especially in rural areas. There have been widespread protests against a corrupt government and these are sometimes met with force. In some industries, including agriculture, domestic service, and security, employers did not respect maternity rights or pay minimum wage, overtime, or vacation. There were numerous reports of government corruption during the year. As of September the STSS had an insufficient number of inspectors to enforce the law effectively. International Child Abductions: The country is a party to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. Well, let's check the statistics. In addition the center estimated approximately 937,000 individuals were forcibly displaced by natural disasters during 2020. Several anonymous social media sites, possibly linked to political parties, criticized journalists (as well as activists and civil society organizations) who were critical of the government or opposition party policies. There were no reports of this law being used to limit womens employment. 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. Puerto Rico (Spanish for 'rich port'; abbreviated PR; Taino: Boriken, Borinquen), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit. It also provides for paid national holidays and annual leave. Honduras has the highest femicide rate in the Latin American region, with 6.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The law prohibits the sale, distribution, and use of emergency contraception for any reason, including for survivors of sexual violence. According to the secretariat, the system was designed for approximately 10,600 inmates. . Backsliding occurred in cases brought during the four-year mandate of the OAS Mission to Support the Fight Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras; several of its cases were dismissed or postponed as courts heard appeals based on the new code. Long periods of pretrial detention remained common and problematic, with many other pretrial detainees held in the general population with convicted prisoners. The law provides for freedom of association, and the government generally respected this right. The law provides for freedom of internal movement, foreign travel, emigration, and repatriation, and the government generally respected these rights. Pandy was a human rights and land rights activist. Traveling around the country is a more complicated matter. 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 government investigated and prosecuted some of these crimes, but impunity was widespread. In the 2013 census, approximately 8.5 percent of the population identified themselves as members of indigenous communities, but other estimates were higher. The law provides for freedom of expression, including for members of the press and other media, with some restrictions, and the government generally respected this right. Presuming we use common sense and take taxis is there anything here we should . The governments National Policy to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination seeks to promote equality and combat discrimination related to the countrys seven indigenous and two Afro-descendent groups, with a focus on social and political participation; access to education, health care, justice, and employment opportunities; and rights to ancestral lands and natural resources. Even when traffic signals are working, drivers often ignore them. The law prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention and provides for the right of any person to challenge the lawfulness of his or her arrest or detention in court. Number. The government did not effectively enforce these laws and regulations, although penalties were commensurate with laws related to civil rights, such as election interference. Recent Elections: In November Xiomara Castro of the LIBRE Party won a four-year presidential term in elections that were generally considered free, fair, and transparent. The government allocated a budget of nearly 21 million lempiras ($865,000) for the continued operation of a protection mechanism for journalists, human rights defenders, and judicial-sector operators. Organized criminal groups, including local and transnational gangs and narcotics traffickers, were significant perpetrators of violent crimes and committed acts of homicide, torture, kidnapping, extortion, human trafficking, intimidation, and other threats and violence directed against human rights defenders, judicial authorities, lawyers, business community members, journalists, bloggers, women, and other vulnerable populations. The STSS is responsible for enforcing the national minimum wage, hours of work, and occupational health and safety law, but it did so inconsistently and ineffectively. You should be aware that tourist hotspots, public transportation and some streets are places where most thefts and pickpocketing occur, and that violent crime exists on the streets, too. There was limited support for persons with mental illnesses or disabilities. A revision to the penal code that entered into force in June 2020 broadly reduces criminal penalties for corruption by officials. For burglaries, APD officers responded to 74 in January to November 2022 . There were credible reports that members of the security forces committed some abuses. Note:  After 15 votes over four days, Rep. Kevin . Authorities continued to investigate the incident. Countering Corruption-Enabled Transnational Crime: A Practice Note for Program Officers and Practitioners. CONAPREV reported 13 violent deaths in prisons as of September. Public-sector trade unionists raised concerns regarding government interference in trade union activities, including its suspension or ignoring of collective agreements and its dismissals of union members and leaders. See. ELITES AND CRIME / 1 NOV 2022 Honduras has freed dozens of individuals tied to organized crime a year after reforming its money laundering law. The armed forces, which report to the Secretariat of Defense, are responsible for external security but also exercise some domestic security responsibilities in support of the national police and other civilian authorities. 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. Reproductive Rights: There were no reports of coerced abortion or involuntary sterilization on the part of government authorities. The law provides for criminal penalties for corruption by officials, but authorities did not implement the law effectively, and officials continued to engage in corrupt practices with impunity. Arbitrary Deprivation of Life and Other Unlawful or Politically Motivated Killings, c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Arrest Procedures and Treatment of Detainees, f. Arbitrary or Unlawful Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or Correspondence, a. The government closed two pretrial detention centers in April due to low numbers of these types of pretrial detainees. U.S. On April 23, the Public Ministry arrested and charged Josue Exequiel Martinez Martinez, Siriaco Mejia Santos, Francisco Lopez Lazo, and Mario Anibal Lopez Velasquez for the December 2020 murder of Felix Vasquez. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police department released annual end-of-year report. 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. Government Human Rights Bodies: A semiautonomous commissioner for human rights, Blanca Izaguirre, served as an ombudsperson and investigated complaints of human rights abuses. Tourists in Belize are often victims of theft, but few experience real violence. Compared to other countries around the world, Honduras is still one of the most violent places in the world with a homicide rate of 44.7 per 100,000 in 2019. Some NGOs reported irregularities, including late delivery of technology needed to transmit results, late opening of the polls, poll workers with varying degrees of preparation and knowledge of the electoral law and processes, and lack of transparency in campaign financing. Honduras. The National Human Rights Commission (CONADEH) reported 15 arbitrary or unlawful killings by security forces as of August. The law allows persons charged with some felonies to avail themselves of bail and gives prisoners the right of prompt access to family members. For crimes with minimum sentences of six years imprisonment, the law authorizes pretrial detention of up to two years. There were credible complaints that police occasionally failed to obtain the required authorization before entering private homes. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Section 1. Birth Registration: Children derive citizenship by birth in the country, from the citizenship of their parents, or by naturalization. Crisis in Honduras: Ongoing violence and climate shocks Here are three reasons the International Rescue Committee's Emergency Watchlist ranks Honduras among 20 countries most at risk of worsening humanitarian crisis in 2022. While all formal workers are entitled to social security, there were reports that both public- and private-sector employers failed to pay into the social security system. According to UN reports from 2020, transnational gang activity was a primary contributor to violence-related internal displacement. The change increases the penalty from two to four years to four to six years. In addition the law prohibits strikes in a wide range of economic activities that the government has designated as essential services or that it considers would affect the rights of individuals in the larger community to security, health, education, and economic and social well-being. As of September the Public Ministry had received nine reports of racial or ethnic discrimination. 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 government of Andorra approved a 3.3 percent increase in the minimum wage that went into effect January 1, 2022, bringing it to 6.68 euros (roughly USD 7.40) per . Basic administration '06 '22 10 1 5 6 5 Political Participation On October 7, the National Congress passed changes to the money-laundering law to designate civil society organizations as politically exposed persons due to organizations use of foreign aid. The law also requires that public-sector workers involved in the refining, transportation, and distribution of petroleum products submit their grievances to the Secretariat of Labor and Social Security (STSS) before striking. Major urban centers and drug trafficking routes experienced the highest rates of violence. The government cooperated with UNHCR and other humanitarian organizations that provide protection and assistance to refugees and other persons of concern. Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2020 was 36.33, a 13.52% decline from 2019. The security situation is expected to continue to deteriorate in 2020 and 2021. The Secretariat of Human Rights provided training to security forces to reinforce respect for human rights. The law presumes an accused person is innocent. As of January 2021, according to UNICEF, several "general public services" in Honduras faced serious disruption, with child support services and services supporting the victims of domestic violence being particularly badly impacted. By law all minors between the ages of 14 and 18 in most industries must receive special permission from the STSS to work, and the STSS must perform a home study to verify that there is an economic need for the child to work and that the child does not work outside the country or in hazardous conditions, including in offshore fishing. The European Union (EU) election mission to Honduras reported that, though several critical problems remain, including high levels of politicization in the electoral process, the May 2021 reforms to the electoral system had allowed for increased transparency and improved confidence in the election results. On March 28, transgender activist Vanessa Zuniga was killed in Tela, Atlantida Department. Some judges, however, ruled that such suspects may be released on the condition that they continue to report periodically to authorities. The law provides for an independent judiciary, but the justice system was poorly funded and staffed, inadequately equipped, often ineffective, and subject to intimidation, corruption, politicization, and patronage. Defendants may not be compelled to testify or confess guilt. Under the Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework, with significant support from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the government continued to build capacity to provide services to vulnerable populations, including IDPs, those at risk of forced displacement, refugees, and returned migrants. The government ended the curfew on October 1. Sexual Harassment: The law criminalizes sexual harassment, including in employment. The Ministry of Securitys Directorate of Disciplinary Police Affairs investigated members of the Honduran National Police accused of human rights abuses. Civilian authorities at times did not maintain effective control over security forces. There were allegations that companies used collective pacts, which are collective contracts with nonunionized workers, to prevent unionization and collective bargaining because only one collective contract may exist in each workplace. Discrimination: Although the law accords women and men the same legal rights and status, including property rights in divorce cases, many women did not fully enjoy such rights due to barriers in access to justice and lack of information regarding legal protections. There is no statutory rape law, but the penalty for rape of a minor younger than 14 is 12 to 17 years in prison, or nine to 13 years in prison if the victim is 14 or older. Driving in Honduras can be dangerous. Organized criminal groups, such as drug traffickers and local and transnational gangs including MS-13 and the 18th Street gang, committed killings, extortion, kidnappings, human trafficking, and intimidation of police, prosecutors, journalists, women, human rights defenders, and others. 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. We are considering visiting Roatan and have read about the crime rate being high, home invasions, break ins etc. 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. However, Nicaragua was hit with renewed political trouble in 2018, and it was hit hard. It was unclear how many of these threats were related to the victims professions or activism. 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. Many prisoners had access to weapons and other contraband, inmates attacked other inmates with impunity, and inmates and their associates outside prison threatened prison officials and their families. Freedom of Expression, Including for Members of the Press and Other Media, b. Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly and Association, d. Freedom of Movement and the Right to Leave the Country, e. Status and Treatment of Internally Displaced Persons, Section 3. There were reports that the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings. The government failed to control pervasive gang-related violence and criminal activity within the prisons. Voters elected Xiomara Castro of the LIBRE Party as president for a four-year term scheduled to begin in January 2022. International observers generally recognized the elections as free and fair. honduras crime and safety report 2021. Before you pack your bags for Honduras, here are a few tips to help you prepare for the climate and weather, and required vaccinations to keep you healthy. January 26, 2022 At a glance Population: 10.1 million 2.8 million people in need of humanitarian aid The state of emergency, in place since Dec. 6 in 165 areas of Honduras' largest two cities, Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, has been expanded to 235 of the country's 298 municipalities, the . Informal Sector: According to the STSS, approximately 75 percent of workers worked in the informal economy, equivalent to approximately 2.7 million persons. Occupational Safety and Health: The government did not effectively enforce occupational safety and health standards, particularly in the construction, garment assembly, and agricultural sectors, as well as in the informal economy. STATEMENT ON BULENGA SHOOTING. The Public Ministry reported seven cases of alleged illegal detention or arbitrary arrest as of September. Powerful special interests, including organized criminal groups, exercised influence on the outcomes of some court proceedings. Thousands of Hondurans affected by hurricanes Eta and Iota, violence and poverty were forced to leave the country and headed north. According to UNICEF, 34 percent of women and 12 percent of men ages 20 to 24 married before age 18. 2016 (PDF) Although its specialists occasionally cannot provide the U.S. standard of care, the hospital and diagnostic departments do have the capability to provide most medical procedures. Credible allegations of corruption in the STSS continued. The Public Ministry reported two such cases in judicial processing and five other cases under investigation as of September. Fuel stations can be few and far between in some areas. The report showed that property crime was up 6% and violent . There were no reports of anti-Semitic acts. Bay islands in Honduaras by daarwasik (CC BY) That meant that Honduras generated around $722M (USD) in the tourism sector, accounting for 3% of the national GDP. Some larger cities have police forces that operate independently of the national police and report to municipal authorities. mayo 29, 2022 . The most common type of crime on Roatan are burglaries. The government maintained the Interinstitutional Commission for the Protection of Persons Displaced by Violence and created the Directorate for the Protection of Persons Internally Displaced by Violence within the Secretariat of Human Rights. They had limited representation in the national government and consequently little direct input into decisions affecting their lands, cultures, traditions, and the allocation of natural resources. On March 3, unknown assailants killed Martin Pandy, president of the Garifuna community of Corozal, and another community member. CONAPREV conducted 138 visits to prisons as of September. Between 2021 and mid-2022, 400,000 to 500,000 children dropped out of school in South Africa, bringing the total number of out of school children to 750,000, according to the . In cooperation with the UN Development Program (UNDP), the government operated consolidated reporting centers in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula where women could report crimes, seek medical and psychological attention, and receive other services. The Directorate of Disciplinary Police Affairs investigated abuses by police forces. Plan your next stop before . Visiting Honduras right now is as safe as it ever was: not very. NGOs reported the government did not effectively combat discrimination and promote equal access to government services or employment opportunities. Credible observers noted problems in trial procedures, such as a lack of admissible evidence, judicial corruption, witness intimidation, and an ineffective witness protection program. EL SALVADOR / 3 . The country was a destination for child sex tourism, particularly in the tourist area of the Bay Islands. . 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 law permits workers in public health care, social security, staple food production, and public utilities (municipal sanitation, water, electricity, and telecommunications) to strike if they continue to provide basic services. These conditions contributed to an unstable, dangerous environment in the penitentiary system. LGBTQI+ rights groups asserted that government agencies and private employers engaged in discriminatory hiring practices. Save. Honduras is a constitutional, multiparty republic. Today at the World Economic Forum, Administrator Samantha Power announced the Administration's intent to work with Congress to provide $125 million to support the resilience of Ukraine's energy and utility infrastructure in the face of the Russian Federation's relentless, systematic attacks. Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2017 was 40.98, a 26.23% decline from 2016. The government took some steps to address corruption at high levels in government agencies, including arresting and charging senior officials on COVID-related procurement corruption. He was arrested again in April for separate but related charges. Within the broad range of violent deaths, the core element of intentional homicide is the complete liability of the direct perpetrator, which thus excludes killings directly related to war or conflicts, self-inflicted death (suicide), killings due to legal . It prohibits employer retribution against employees for engaging in trade union activities. The reported killings took place during law enforcement operations or were linked to criminal activity by government agents. In 2020, 278 women were murdered in the country and, as of November 2021, more than 240 women have lost their lives violently. The country has one of the highest homicide rates in the world. The Secretariat of Human Rights served as an effective advocate for human rights within the government. Authorities did not generally segregate those with tuberculosis or other infectious diseases from the general prison population; as of September the National Prison Institute reported 106 prisoners had been treated for tuberculosis. Through September the secretariat trained 2,626 law enforcement officials in human rights and international humanitarian law. Country Summary: Violent crime, such as homicide and armed robbery, is common. 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. Persons with HIV and AIDS continued to be targets of discrimination, and they suffered disproportionately from gender-based violence. Many prisons lacked sufficient security personnel. Nevertheless, social discrimination against LGBTQI+ persons persisted, as did physical violence. Under the new inspection law, the STSS has the authority temporarily to shut down workplaces where there is an imminent danger of fatalities; however, there were not enough trained inspectors to deter violations sufficiently. Violent gang activity, such as extortion, violent street crime, rape, and narcotics and human trafficking, is widespread. Corruption: The new trial of former first lady Rosa Elena Bonilla de Lobo on charges of fraud and misappropriation of public funds, originally set to commence in March, was twice delayed for medical reasons. May 24, 2022 Webmaster 1462 Leave a Comment. A large percentage of the population in Honduras is armed. The Jewish community numbered approximately 275 members. Penalties for violations of occupational safety and health law were commensurate with penalties for similar crimes. On April 27, the Public Ministry filed an indictment against police officer Jarol Rolando Perdomo Sarmiento for the February 6 murder of Keyla Martinez in La Esperanza, Intibuca Department. The government investigated violence and threats of violence against union leaders. Intentional homicide is defined by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in its Global Study on Homicide report thus: . October and February were the deadliest months, with 43 and 38 women murdered on account of their gender, respectively. 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. Avoid wandering around local villages after hours. By law women have equal access to educational opportunities.

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