In 2013, Honduras had the highest rate of violent deaths of women in the world. My decision was to die." The government and NGOs identified 42 trafficking victims in 2020, including 31 exploited in sex trafficking and 11 in forced labor; two of the labor trafficking victims were children forced to commit unlawful acts. Due to the remote nature of these areas, the governments ability to respond to violence or other problems is often very limited, as is access to medical facilities. A woman is likely to be killed every 36 hours in this country. However, with respect to sex trafficking, these penalties were not commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape. The government conducted law enforcement operations targeting irregular migration and increased border enforcement, leading to 160 arrests for smuggling crimes that increased migrants vulnerability to trafficking. Review OSACs reports, Cybersecurity Basics, Best Practices for Maximizing Security on Public Wi-Fi, Traveling with Mobile Devices: Trends & Best Practices, and Satellite Phones: Critical or Contraband? Historically, corruption has been pervasive in government procurement, issuance of government permits, customs, real estate transactions (particularly land title transfers), performance requirements, and the regulatory system. Criminal organizations, including gangs, exploit girls in sex trafficking, force children into street begging, and coerce and threaten children and young adults to transport weapons, sell drugs, commit extortion, or serve as lookouts; this occurred primarily in urban areas, but one NGO reported an increase in gang activity in rural areas. Incidents of crime along roads, including carjacking and kidnapping, are common in Honduras. Do not buy counterfeit and pirated goods, even if they are widely available. Municipalities With Highest Number of Deaths Attributed to Traffic Accidents 200 150 100 179 177 50 61 52 39 0 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 24 23 23 22 21 19 16, January to December 2019, Secretariat of Security Honduran National Police Honduras 2020 OSAC Crime & Safety Report. HMCs lab was reviewed by the Regional Medical Laboratory Scientist and found to be up to U.S. standards and quality assurance practices. The U.S. Embassy strongly discourages intercity car and bus travel after dark. CICESCT maintained a public website and launched social media accounts to share information on human trafficking with the public. This report is a result of the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and complies with Federal reporting requirements, specifically 20 U.S. Code Section 1092 (f). There is often a spike in skimming in December and June, when the working population receive Christmas and mid-year bonuses in the form of one extra months salary. Avoid traveling at night and always drive with doors locked and windows rolled up to deter potential robberies at traffic lights and on congested downtown streets. The police generally treat detained foreigners well. Violent gang activity, such as extortion, violent street crime, rape, and narcotics and human trafficking, is widespread. Honduras is one of the murder capitals of the world. Animals and people wander onto the roads. 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. 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. Travelers in those areas should use extra caution. Young males working in pairs, often riding motorcycles, are perpetrating many of the armed robberies in Honduras urban areas. If you use our datasets on your site or blog, we ask that you provide attribution via a link back to this page. Intentional homicides are estimates of unlawful homicides purposely inflicted as a result of domestic disputes, interpersonal violence, violent conflicts over land resources, intergang violence over turf or control, and predatory violence and killing by armed groups. The ambulance does not have paramedics or emergency medical equipment; it functions solely as transport to hospitals. Overall corruption helped facilitate trafficking crimes. However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas. Despite being considered the best private hospital in Tegucigalpa, it is not Joint Commission International (JCI) accredited; JCI is an independent, not-for-profit organization that evaluates and accredits healthcare organizations. OSAC encourages travelers to use this report to gain baseline knowledge of security conditions in Honduras. A significant percentage of vehicles are in disrepair, underpowered, beyond their lifecycle, and would not meet U.S. road safety standards. Gracias a Dios is a remote location where narcotics trafficking is frequent, infrastructure is weak, government services are limited, and police/military presence is scarce. Authorities convicted two government officials, one on pimping charges and one for paid sexual relations, for their involvement in sex trafficking crimes in 2017. 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. Crime in Roatan, Honduras. Resolution of disputes in court often takes years. It provided a family, a sense of belonging. Traffickers exploit Honduran women and children in sex trafficking within the country and in other countries such as Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Spain, and the United States. Other Honduran government agencies also provided funds from their budgets for victim assistance. honduras crime and safety report 2022. Information provided is subject to change without notice. The immediate response team provided 67 victims of trafficking and related crimes with assistance, including legal advice, immediate protection, and psychological services. Nicaragua used to be part of the CA-4 agreement, but in late 2017 began requiring travelers to register their travel purpose and destination online seven days in advance. Law enforcement, immigration, and social service providers had written procedures for identifying and assisting victims, including screening for indicators of trafficking among vulnerable populations and referring potential victims to CICESCTs immediate response team. Ocean via the Gulf of Fonseca in the Caribbean and access to the local police and property crime 1. In 2021, almost 39 homicides were committed per 100,000 inhabitants in Honduras. Received a complaint about honduras crime and safety report 2021 at Pioneer Park with murder November 2017 shorter! As a result of this study, UN Women will be organizing trainings for media outlets on objective and respectful journalism in these types of subjects. Counterfeit Honduran lempiras (currency) are common, especially in the 100 and 500 denominations. 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. However, there can be communal tension over land ownership, natural resource allocation, and exploitation. Children living on the streets are at risk for sex and labor trafficking. 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. Mediaactivism must be part of the change of paradigm; data plays a key role in understanding the impact on the Honduran population of how media report on violence against women. "I think it is important that young people, and particularly men, raise awareness about this type of violence," added Daniel Vijil, from the youth institution El Milenio. As a result, criminals operate with a high degree of impunity. Labor inspectors did not identify any suspected trafficking cases in 2020. Seek legal representation before admitting or signing any legal form that acknowledges culpability. Airlines estimate that approximately 250,000 U.S. citizens flew into Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, or Roatn in 2019. The government modernized its national identification card system and began distributing new national identification cards in February 2021. Our message is that we shouldnt leave womens and feminist institutions that fight to eradicate violence against women alone [on their mission], said Ana Cruz of Asociacin Calidad de Vida, an anti-violence organization. Although Honduras has reduced its homicide rate by half since 2011, it remains one of the world's highest, with 44.8 murders per 100,000 population in 2019. The government cooperated with the Governments of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico to investigate trafficking cases and detain suspects. 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. Most cruise line passengers experience no problems, but there have been reports of associated armed robbery and carjacking. Crime in Honduras in 2012, according to the U.N., Honduras experienced. Even when traffic signals are working, drivers often ignore them. Dial 911 for emergency or call (504) 2232-4092. 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. The government maintained strong protection efforts, with CICESCTs immediate response team providing robust assistance to victims throughout the year. The main problems are related to corruption, robbery, and vandalism. CICESCT and the anti-trafficking prosecution unit each operated trafficking-specific hotlines that functioned throughout the pandemic. The U.S. Department of State has assessed Lima as being a CRITICAL-threat location for crime directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests. However, it is situated in a high crime area and has been the site of numerous armed robberies and thefts. In 2019, there was one murder case involving a resident U.S. citizen in Roatn. January 26, 2022 At a glance Population: 10.1 million 2.8 million people in need of humanitarian aid The 18th Street and MS-13 (Mara Salvatrucha) gangs are the most active and powerful. The Government of Honduras does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so. 2.2. 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. The last two years have shone an unflattering light . The San Pedro Sula area has seen armed robberies against tourist vans, minibuses, and cars traveling from the airport to area hotels, and there have also been armed robberies along the road to Copan. The rate of young people killing other young people is down to two main gangs : Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18. Do not travel to Gracias a Dios Department due to crime. Officials in the Returned Migrant Assistance Center conducted evaluations of returned Hondurans and referred suspected trafficking cases to CICESCT; however, screening for trafficking indicators was not systematic among returned migrants, and the government did not report whether these efforts resulted in identification of any victims during the year. ", expressed the UN Resident Coordinator in Honduras, Alice Shackelford, on Twitter. Through this initiative I can be a spokesperson for women who experience this type of violence and I can use my platforms to inform and raise awareness about the issue in a male-dominatedsociety where we normalize this type of situation, said Massay Crisantho, who is and activist and advocate for the human rights and the culture of the Garifunaethnic community. Regional advisory - Avoid non-essential travel. In comparison, the government identified 75 victims (66 in sex trafficking and 9 in forced labor) and NGOs identified 78 victims in 2019, and the government identified 73 victims (63 in sex trafficking and 10 in forced labor) in 2018. In 2020,278 women were murdered in the countryand, as of November 2021, more than 240 women have lost their lives violently. NGOs have reported anonymous attacks via social media, alleging that civil society actors are engaged in, or supportive of, criminal activity in Honduras. Review OSACs reports, Road Safety Abroad, Driving Overseas: Best Practices, and Evasive Driving Techniques; and read the State Departments webpage on driving and road safety abroad. Some victims provided testimony through pre-recorded interviews in secure Gesell chambers or, due to the pandemic, video calls. If I did, I would get beaten up, explained a survivor of gender-based violencewho spoke anonymously with us to protect her safetyduring a visit of UN authorities to a safe house. In March 2019, the Honduran Government created the National Urban Transportation Security Force to combat extortion and other crimes perpetrated by gangs. An NGO noted courts continued to delay trafficking cases despite a requirement in the anti-trafficking law to process such cases in a timely manner, an issue further exacerbated by the pandemic. Preliminary Observations of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on its Visit to Honduras - May 15 TO 18, 2010 Honduras: Human Rights and the Coup D' ETAT - Dec. 2009 Return to the Top of the Page Justice System Foreign Government Reports Canada Responses to Information Requests (RIRs) U.S. citizens have been the victims of a wide range of crimes, including murder, kidnapping, rape, assault, and property crimes. There have also been cases of police harassment of patrons in LGBTI+ nightclubs. 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. Child victims could receive care from government or NGO shelters, while women had the option of receiving assistance from NGO shelters; there were no specialized shelters for trafficking victims and no shelters that accepted men.