Overcrowding, inadequate nutrition, poor sanitation, beatings, intra-gang violence, and killings are endemic in prisons. Many of these U.S. citizens are church and humanitarian aid volunteers working throughout the country, including in gang-controlled neighborhoods. These tensions have resulted in intense protests and violence. The municipalities in which kidnappings were reported include: Districto Central (4), Jacaleapa (1), Trojes (1), Siguatepeque (1), Puerto Cortes (1), Lejamani (1), Tocoa (1), Tela (1), and Comayagua (1). for original OSAC reporting, consular messages, and contact information, some of which may be available only to private-sector representatives with an OSAC password. In January 2021, the IACHR and the UN special rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons urged the government to adopt a law protecting internally displaced people. 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. Nine significant tropical storms/hurricanes since 1995 have affected Honduras. There were no government restrictions on academic freedom or cultural events. There were credible complaints that police occasionally failed to obtain the required authorization before entering private homes. Cable signal theft and counterfeit products are the most prevalent violations of intellectual property rights in Honduras. As of September the STSS had an insufficient number of inspectors to enforce the law effectively. The penalties for rape range from nine to 13 years imprisonment. Local, Regional, and International Terrorism Threats/Concerns. On October 7, the National Congress increased penalties for forced labor under the trafficking-in-persons article of the penal code from five to eight years imprisonment to 10 to 15 years, bringing the penalties in line with the penalties for other analogous serious crimes, such as kidnapping. Avoid using Collectivos (white sedan taxis with a sticker on the windshield denoting its established route), Roleteros (private white sedan taxis with no established routes), and Rapiditos (small buses that pick up multiple riders). The secretariat reported assisting 127 IDPs as of August. The U.S. Embassy estimates at least 30,000 U.S. citizens reside in Honduras. The homicide rate in Honduras was 42 per 100,000 people in 2019, making it one of the most violent countries in the world. There were credible reports that members of the security forces committed some abuses. Women with disabilities are not included in general policies to prevent violence against women. Review the State Departments webpage on security for LGBTI+ travelers. Many of these U.S. citizens are church and humanitarian aid volunteers working throughout the country, including in gang-controlled neighborhoods. ; these are generally safer areas in which to reside because of their heightened security measures. 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. drivers licenses, vehicle registration). Child Abuse: Child abuse remained a serious problem. In January, legislators increased the majority needed to amend the provision banning abortion from two-thirds to three-quarters. Review OSACs report, Understanding the Consular Travel Advisory System. The law requires individuals and companies that employ more than 20 school-age children at their facilities to provide a location for a school. Contact OSACs, https://www.facebook.com/embajadahonduras/, https://hn.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/spsca/, External links to other internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein, Travel Advisory: Honduras - Level 3 (Reconsider Travel), Central America Natural Disaster Emergency Planning: OSAC Guidance and Resources. For crimes with minimum sentences of six years imprisonment, the law authorizes pretrial detention of up to two years. Fines for child labor were not sufficient to deter violations and not commensurate with penalties for other analogous serious crimes, such as kidnapping. The groups most likely to be internally displaced are children subjected to forced gang recruitment, professionals and business owners who face extortion, domestic violence survivors, and LGBT people and members of ethnic minorities who face violence and discrimination, the IACHR has reported. Abortion is illegal in Honduras under all circumstances, with prison sentences of up to six years. Penalties for violations of occupational safety and health law were commensurate with penalties for similar crimes. Review OSACs reports, The Overseas Travelers Guide to ATM Skimmers & Fraud, Best Practices for Maximizing Security on Public Wi-Fi, Traveling with Mobile Devices: Trends & Best Practices. Low salaries and a lack of internal controls rendered judicial officials susceptible to bribery. Global AIDS Coordinator and Global Health Diplomacy, Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Special Representative for Syria Engagement, U.S. Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Office of the U.S. Bureau of Diplomatic Security 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. Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2020 was 36.33, a 13.52% decline from 2019. Best Buddies Turkey Ekibi; Videolar; Bize Ulan; honduras crime and safety report 2021 27 ub. OSAC encourages travelers to use this report to gain baseline knowledge of security conditions in Honduras. In January 2020, the government shut down the Mission to Support the Fight against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH). The government prosecuted some officials who committed abuses, including government corruption, but a weak judicial system and corruption were major obstacles to obtaining convictions. 2018 toyota rav4 pros and cons. Honduras lacks the infrastructure to maintain water purity and food safety. Passing on blind corners is common. The police, along with the Ministry of Defenses Military Public Order Police (PMOP), routinely establish checkpoints and review documentation (e.g. As of September the Secretariat of Human Rights reported the countrys pretrial detention center held 33 individuals. The government did not effectively enforce the law. The law presumes an accused person is innocent. Violence against LGBT individuals displaces many internally and forces others to leave the country to seek asylum. The legal age of consent is 18. honduras crime and safety report 2021 Hakkmzda. Inconsistent, retroactive implementation of provisions of the revised code led to logjams in the legal system and impunity for some of the accused. The STSS did not approve any authorizations through September. In June 2021, the Inter-American Commision on Human Rights (IACHR) estimated a 90 percent rate of impunity for crimes committed against human rights defenders in Honduras. As of October 17, 42,357 Hondurans were deported in 2021 to Hondurasmore than the total throughout 2020the government reported. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights reported that authorities at times failed to enforce these requirements effectively. The number of inspections increased significantly as the STSS resumed normal inspections, suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of September the Public Ministry had received nine reports of racial or ethnic discrimination. Counterfeit U.S. currency is also common. Forced labor occurred in street vending, domestic service, the transport of drugs and other illicit goods, other criminal activity, and the informal sector. Find contact information for available medical services and available air ambulance services on the U.S. Embassy/Consulate, Travelers are responsible for ensuring that they have adequate health coverage while in Honduras. The law entered into force on November 1. As of September inspectors conducted 8,846 total inspections, compared with 4,102 total inspections for the same period in 2020. or the United States Government, except as otherwise noted (e.g., travel advisories, public statements). Institutions such as the National Womens Institute attempted to enhance the governments response to domestic violence by opening three additional womens centers in the country. 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. Garza is wanted in Honduras for homicide. 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. However, kidnapping figures are likely lower than reality, as families of kidnapping victims often pay ransoms without reporting these crimes to police out of fear of retribution. Honduras is one of the Western Hemispheres deadliest countries for journalists, with security forces representing their biggest threat, Reporters Without Borders noted in 2021. Even when traffic signals are working, drivers often ignore them. 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. The government closed two pretrial detention centers in April due to low numbers of these types of pretrial detainees. Share this via Facebook The Ministry of Securitys Directorate of Disciplinary Police Affairs investigated members of the Honduran National Police accused of human rights abuses. Riverdale, MD 20737. 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. Air pollution can aggravate or lead to respiratory problems during the dry season due to widespread forest fires and agricultural burning. The U.S. Embassy estimates at least 30,000 U.S. citizens reside in Honduras. These workshops are part of a multiphase effort to promote transparency, cooperation,. 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. Most child labor occurred in rural areas. Local law allows the police to detain someone for up to 24 hours for administrative processing. TAIPEI, March 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- One in four Americans experienced home burglary in 2022, according to the first annual Global Safety and Security Report released by AlfredCamera, a leading . . Respect for the Integrity of the Person, a. Physical Conditions: Prisoners suffered from severe overcrowding, malnutrition, lack of adequate sanitation and medical care, and, in some prisons, lack of adequate ventilation and lighting. Honduras declared a state of exception as extortion cases rise, suspending constitutional rights in cities and deploying thousands of troops. 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. Children, including from indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, particularly Miskito boys, were at risk for forced labor in the agriculture, manufacturing, fishing, mining, construction, and hospitality industries. Only sealed commercial water containers (bottles) are considered safe to drink. Major urban centers and drug trafficking routes experienced the highest rates of violence. Responding police fired tear gas in and around the main terminal to regain control after protesters entered the building and airport grounds. There is street crime even in gated communities commonly referred to locally as. 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. The reported killings took place during law enforcement operations or were linked to criminal activity by government agents. Workers had difficulty exercising the rights to form and join unions and to engage in collective bargaining, and the government failed to enforce applicable laws effectively. The Public Ministry reported seven cases of alleged illegal detention or arbitrary arrest as of September. at the date of this reports publication assesses Honduras at Level 3, indicating travelers should reconsider travel due tocrime. 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. Review OSACs report, Surviving a Protest. Following anticorruption protests in 2015, President Hernandez signed an agreement with the Organization of American States to form the Mission Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH). This is an annual report produced in conjunction with the Regional Security Office at the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa. 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. The law places restrictions on these rights, such as requiring that a recognized trade union represent at least 30 workers, prohibiting foreign nationals from holding union offices, and requiring that union officials work in the same substantive area of the business as the workers they represent. In 2019, there were 1,500 traffic fatalities throughout the country. The law grants workers the right to form and join unions of their choice, bargain collectively, and strike. The law establishes an independent and impartial judiciary in civil matters, including access to a court to seek damages for human rights violations. Media linked her killing to organized criminal groups and drug trafficking organizations. Gangs control some of the taxi services. In October 2019, a thief stole the side view mirrors from a U.S. employees personally owned vehicle while it was parked on a side street near the Embassy. Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2017 was 40.98, a 26.23% decline from 2016. Of those, 37,114 were deported from Mexico and 4,689 from the US. -threat location for crime directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests. Nonetheless, many prisoners remained in custody after completing their full sentences, and sometimes even after an acquittal, because officials failed to process their releases expeditiously. Transgender persons are prohibited from changing their legal gender status. La Ceiba, Trujillo) and major hotels; other tourist installations have increased private and police security. Drug trafficking and gang activity, which includes local micro-trafficking of narcotics and extortion, are the main causes of violent crime in Honduras. In-country Movement: There were areas where authorities could not assure freedom of movement because of criminal activity and a lack of significant government presence. 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. These workers are not covered by the contributory social security system and are not protected by the labor code. There are no legal cases involving instances of terrorism affecting U.S. citizens or facilities brought before the Honduran judicial system, and no reports of judicial developments that would have a negative impact on U.S. counterterrorism efforts. From 2015 through 2019, authorities arrested 4,196 gang members, the National Police reported. Persons from indigenous and Afro-descendant communities continued to experience discrimination in employment, education, housing, and health services. Additionally, illegal drugs are for sale in many of the popular tourist areas during the evening hours. Gangs are not reluctant to use violence, and specialize in murder-for-hire, carjacking, extortion, and other violent street crime. Ethnic minority rights leaders, international NGOs, and farmworker organizations claimed the government failed to redress actions taken by security forces, government agencies, private individuals, and businesses to dislodge farmers and indigenous persons from lands over which they claimed ownership based on land reform law or ancestral land titles. Openness To, and Restrictions Upon, Foreign Investment Policies Towards Foreign Direct Investment Limits on Foreign Control and Right to Private Ownership and Establishment Other Investment Policy Reviews Business Facilitation Outward Investment 2. Cruise lines and port agencies offer approved tour companies offering packages. There have also been cases of police harassment of patrons in LGBTI+ nightclubs. Governmental Posture Towards International and Nongovernmental Investigation of Alleged Abuses of Human Rights, Section 6. honduras crime and safety report 2021. roche graduate . Download the State Departments Crime Victims Assistance, For fire and public safety emergencies, dial. Honduras received support from the Millennium Challenge Corporation in the development of an e-procurement platform and public procurement auditing. Infiltrators: corruption in El Salvador has made safety strides and is not as dangerous as it used be! Gangs control some of the taxi services. Corruption and Lack of Transparency in Government, Section 5. 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. The Covid-19 pandemic has further limited access to education. open sources and (U) embassy reporting. Authorities generally respected these rights. They forcibly recruit children and sexually abuse women, girls, and LGBT people. There have also been cases of police harassment of patrons in LGBTI+ nightclubs. While the risk from crime in Honduras remains a concern, most U.S. citizens visiting or residing in Honduras are unaffected by violence and visit for tourism or humanitarian aid work without incident. honduras crime and safety report 2021. Share this via Printer. 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. 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. By law the STSS may fine companies that violate the right to freedom of association. Deportation, Circular Migration and Organized Crime Honduras Case Study; Download the Publication; Honduras: Information Gathering Mission Report; Violence in Honduras: an Analysis of the Failure in Public Security and the State'S Response to Criminality; Opendocpdf.Pdf; Honduras Elites and Organized Crime; Honduras 2019 Crime & Safety Report Review the State Departments webpage on security for, Honduran law requires access to buildings for persons with disabilities; however, there are limited facilities for individuals with disabilities. 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. Some would-be muggers and gang members keep to a daily schedule, riding city buses from one stop to the next, committing criminal acts with impunity along the way. There were no credible reports of political prisoners or detainees. Review OSACs reports, The CDC offers additional information on vaccines and health guidance for, The Honduras Country Council generally meets monthly on a rotating basis in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula and has approximately 70 members. 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. There were numerous reports of government corruption during the year. Also see the Department of States Trafficking in Persons Report at https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/.