You can definitely push your luck by staying in the wrong neighborhood as well. There are probably more sketchy areas in Honduras than there are safe ones. 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. The island attracts a very different crowd indeed. Honduras Reports 'Historic' Coca Seizure | Breaking News App by Shore But if you meet the local ladies andlearn about their livesyoure going to have a VERY enriching experience on your hands. Support focuses primarily on reintegration into the labor market, rather than assistance for people who fled seeking international protection. Activist groups, like the Grupo Prisma, have formed that educate and inform the general public as well as fight the current rules against homosexual relationships. Testimony provided by drug traffickers and Honduran politicians on trial in the United States have revealed the deep-seated connection between organized crime and the governing National Party. The media and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) reported several cases of abusive police enforcement of the Covid-19 lockdown. And Honduras has been struggling to build representative democracy, to fight corruption and crime. Its just that easy. In Honduras, one of the most violent countries in the world, 60 percent of deaths are attributed to organized crime. generally, if youre visiting with a guided tour, you should be fine. Read the entire Travel Advisory. Youll most likely get watered-down versions of Honduran food and Western stuff. Jesse Watters: Buying mace in Manhattan is almost as hard as getting a gun. Honduras Profile - InSight Crime We get it. Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency to fight gang crimes like extortion. There are many daily newspapers in Honduras where that constantly provide the latest updated news and information. For years, street gangs have charged protection money from bus and taxi drivers and store owners in Honduras, as in neighboring El Salvador. Other ways to share The measure must still be approved by Congress. Officials flew Garza, a 48-year-old . In the 2010s, Honduras' homicide rate skyrocketed, peaking in 2011 and slowly declining since. Access to health care services was a concern in Honduras prior to the pandemic, particularly for rural and economically marginalized communities. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, File), Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The former vice president has become the Democratic front-runner with primary victories across the country. Human rights defenders have said they will monitor the measures. Gangs, particularly the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and the 18th Street Gang (Barrio 18), are considered to be largely responsible for Honduras murder rate, and are infamous for extortion and drug peddling. You will have to agree on a pricebefore you get in. Extortion in Latin America continues to bring in fortunes for criminal gangs. He estimated the companies and drivers have paid an average of about $10 million per month to the gangs in order to operate. It may have improved it actually. Members include officers from the police, the military, and the Attorneys General Office. This should not distract, however, from the fact that there are life-threatening problems that residents of Honduras struggle with daily. REUTERS/Fredy Rodriguez/File PhotoReuters. In April, Public Order Military Police (PMOP) officers severely beat three brothers and shot two of themone fatallyfor allegedly violating a curfew in El Paraso in order to sell bread. Lanza said that 50 drivers have been killed so far in 2022, and a total of 2,500 have been killed over the last 15 years. Homicides in Honduras | Association for a More Just Society In January 2020, the government shut down the Mission to Support the Fight against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH). Radio taxisare always a better option than hailing one off the street. 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. People are frisked in Tegucigalpa on 26 November. As a result, humanitarian needs for food, health, nutrition and protection have increased. Pastor Daniel Pacheco told Los Angeles Times reporter Kate Linthicum, "I can ask them to leave the gang, but I don't have anything else to offer them. While homicide rates have dropped in recent years, Honduras is still the most dangerous country in the region, with 38 homicides per 100,000 people. Until his life grew increasingly violent. Especiallythrough a tour company. Chatting to them means getting first-hand knowledge, and means your experience is going to be a lot richer. You can catch a ferry from the mainland atLa Ceibato eitherUtilaorRoatan. If San Pedro Sula Is Murder Capital of the World, Who Made It That Way? Honduras | Today's latest from Al Jazeera Honduras Peru pulls ambassador from Honduras amid regional criticism Peru has struggled with diplomatic isolation as left-wing. Police reforms are most successful when theyre coupled with investments in social services and cross-cutting investments to address some of the root causes like poverty and exclusion that can cause crime in the first place, said Mary Malone, a professor at the University of New Hampshire who has studied policing in Central America. The rate of young people killing other young people is down to twomain gangs:Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) andBarrio 18. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Theyve been doing it since 2002 protecting, connecting, and inspiring independent travellers just like you. msn back to msn home news Skip To Navigation FILE PHOTO: A member of Honduras' DIPAMPCO (Police Anti Maras and Gangs Against Organised Crime Directorate) stands guard as other DIPAMPCO members frisk people while doing rounds in a low-income neighbourhood, after President Xiomara Castro declared a national security emergency implementing a new plan to combat a rising number of cases of extortion by violent criminal groups operating across the country, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras November 26, 2022. But Honduras is far from Eden. As the camera rolled, the police began stopping vehicles passing by in the background, running ID cards and frisking occupants. Gangs control areas within the same communities,. Its prettyextreme. Click here to read the full story: 6 gang members killed in Honduras prison. Gangs attacking other gangs. Patrick said the inmates were captured about 7:45 AM in downtown Newton. The rate of young people killing other young people is down to two main gangs : Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18. People live here with children, by themselves, as couples, some retire here, and some people have even started up their own hostelsor otherbusinesses. Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2017 was 40.98, a 26.23% decline from 2016. if youre visiting Honduras, you will have to avoid this city completely. Honduras, long one of the poorest countries in Latin America, is now also among the most violent and crime-ridden. ; Children and Adolescents - Honduras has the highest youth homicide rate in the world. The code also includes poorly constructed provisions that could lead to violations of the rights to assemble and protest and an overly broad definition of association to engage in terrorism, which could be used to criminalize and disproportionately punish behaviors that fall far short of what most reasonable observers would consider terrorism. There are an estimated 115,000 gang members. Xiomara should hurry up and go after all those gang members, said Isidora Varela, 70, at her market stand in downtown Tegucigalpa. To Desafio, the Barrio 18 gang in Honduras was everything. A quarter of women and girls become pregnant before turning 18the second-highest rate in Latin America. And theyre generally safe. Lucky for you,youre not a Honduran citizen. Violent organized crime continues to disrupt Honduran society and push many people to leave the country. The police chief in Honduras reported 356 fewer homicides between Dec. 6, 2022 and Feb 20, 2023, compared to the period Dec. 6, 2021 to Feb. 20, 2022. Every dollar supports our mission. But it was not a tremor, nor a tsunami. Is Honduras safe for solo female travelers? According to the U.N., Honduras has the highest femicide rate in the world. The streets of major cities like Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula are gripped by crime and conflict. Honduras, long one of the poorest countries in Latin America, is now also among the most violent and crime-ridden. This coastal city is more welcoming togringos than other places and features beaches fringed bycoral reefsand theres a lot of new development happening here. Gangs exercise territorial control over neighborhoods and extort residents throughout the country. Ex-Honduras president's arrest puts US war on drugs into focus Juan Orlando Hernndez extolled his achievements as. Violent organized crime continues to disrupt Honduran society and push many people to leave the country. By MARLON GONZLEZ November 25, 2022. Is your phone eSIM ready? Journalists, environmental activists,lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals,and people with disabilities are among the groups targeted forviolence. If a restaurant or eatery of any sort looks busy, thats probably because its good, both in terms of taste and. Will Honduras Win The Fight Against Corruption? - Forbes Keeping yourself away from any situation to do with them will be a good way to keep yourself pretty much safe. Since the end of the last decade, political protection has allowed the traditional drug trafficking groups to flourish. We go into the field to interview, report and investigate. Honduras may have one of the highest murder rates in the world, and as a solo female traveler, that doesnt sound very inviting as a destination. Indeed, Honduras is seeing a plague of femicidesa woman is murdered every 36 hours, mostly by an intimate partner. In certain areas, yes Honduras is safe to travel for families. Its just better to have a local driver drive you around. In El Salvador, a Thin Line Between Community Policing and Vigilantism. Nearly 3.3 million people, or one in three Hondurans, were experiencing crisis or worse levels of food insecurity by late 2021. But the thing iswomen DO travel alone to Honduras. Already vulnerable people in Honduras live in an evolving humanitarian crisis, says IRC protection coordinator Zuleyma Chahin. There are high levels of crime in Honduras. This helps keep everyone in poverty. (Reporting by Orfa Mejia in Tegucigalpa; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Leslie Adler). If you see any outdated information in this guide, we would really appreciate it if you could reach out in the comments below. Earlier this year, Honduras appeared set to follow an example set by another neighbor, Nicaragua, whose community-based policing approach was for years hailed for maintaining exceptionally low crime rates and minimal gang presence until the government turned the police into a repressive force against the people amid widespread protests in 2018. This is an issue that has not been taken seriously by the Honduran state.. 'Impossible to escape': El Salvador unveils new mega-prison TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) One day after six Honduran environmental activists were convicted for alleged actions against a mining operation, the Supreme Court's Constitutional Chamber unanimously sided with the defendants on two long-standing appeals and threw out their case late Thursday. Honduras Extends, Expands State of Emergency Meant to Fight Crime Honduras - United States Department of State Theres no reason to get mixed up with a gang in Honduras. January 26, 2022 At a glance Population: 10.1 million 2.8 million people in need of humanitarian aid Over60% of the populationlive below the poverty line. 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Get your accommodation to either recommenda good company or just book one for you. FILE PHOTO: Police raid a house after Honduras' President Xiomara Castro (not pictured) mobilised . https://t.co/xQGbbyZXXv. Gender-based violence in Honduras is also among the highest in the region and has increased during the pandemic. Locals drive atcrazy speeds on the highways, there are random toll roads that make the cost high (but if you dont take them, alternative routes are often not paved), and there are animals on the road. Investigating organized crime is an expensive and often risky enterprise. San Pedro Sula is the most dangerous city, not just in Honduras, but in the whole world. All that in mind, there are places that expats dolive in Honduras. Officials were called out to the main Wood Duck Recreation Area at around 4 p.m. on Tuesday to investigate a suspicious vehicle, a ccording to a release from the Sheriff's Office. It wont be down to the wire cutting edge info on the most current events, but it is layered in the expertise of veteran travellers. Newton County Sheriff's Office was involved with . It has experienced one of the world's highest homicide rates, with multiple forms of violence linked to drug trafficking groups. But if the peace in the condemning nations were to rupture the way it has in El Salvador and Honduras, we can bet they . Judges continue to face interference, including political pressure, threats, and harassment, from the executive branch, private actors with connections to government, and organized crime. It can be a super enriching experience. There are private coach servicesthat connect cities and towns that are usually moremaintained and more comfortable than the chicken buses. Also in February, the OAS special rapporteur on freedom of expression called on Honduras to decriminalize defamation and to properly investigate killings of journalists. World Report 2022: Honduras | Human Rights Watch The inmates, all from Honduras, had reportedly escaped custody yesterday in Scott County. For your trip to Honduras, our handy guide has you covered. It also documented widespread mistreatment of people detained and arrested during the protests. Honduras declares state of emergency against gang crime | AP News That means getting used to gangs, violence, and corruption. It was a show: a show of force following the example set by the hardline policies of neighbouring El Salvador, where President Nayib Bukele has led a controversial crackdown on gangs that has led to the detention of more than 2% of its adult population. In Honduras, Police Accused Of Corruption, Killings Hernndez ran for reelection in 2017 a controversial move in Honduras. Late Thursday, Nov. 24, Castro proposed a measure to limit constitutional rights so as to round up gang members. Despite some similarities, the security situation in El Salvador is different from Honduras, which has a much larger territory, higher population, greater poverty and a more diverse set of criminal groups. Make sure to check the reviews from previous travellers to check for any problems during their stay. In 2018, the last year for which statistics are available, 60 percent of perpetrators were domestic partners. Violent crime is at its peak in Honduras. Of 25,000 gang members in 2012, nearly a fifth were children, UNICEF estimated. Here's a list of 14: 1. Honduras may sound scary, but if you take into account the advice of locals, plan ahead, and use your common sense,Honduras will open up to you as a solo female traveler. Namely, being robbed. ThisCentral Americancountry suffers from what many countries in the region have suffered from or are currently battling with namely corruption, gangs,anddrugs. Honduras is exposed to other climate shocks as well. Please donate. There are definitely a fair few pros to solo travel. This rule especially goes at night. And taxi driversprobably wont have enough change to cover a big bill, socarry small denominations. When more cameras arrived, men were forced to take off their shirts so the police could inspect them for gang tattoos in front of the bright lights. A new country, a new contract, a new piece of plastic booooring. A 25-year-old migrant who posed as a minor to illegally cross the border was sentenced to 60 years for killing the father of four who took him in. Iris Argentina lvarez of the Cerro Escondido peasant cooperative, which has been working to recover land currently owned by a sugar company, was killed and three people were injured during a violent and allegedly illegal eviction in Choluteca in April 2020. We provide cash to help people meet basic needs. A . Heres how to not get ill whilst trying local delights. Take theBay Islands,for example. Latest News Profile Criminal Actors Investigations News Latest News Its a wild world out there. The 'spiralling crisis' pushing Hondurans to flee north At least 86 journalists were killed from 2001 through July 2020, the Honduran College of Journalists reported, and 92 percent of those killings remain unpunished. TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - The Honduran government on Saturday extended a state of emergency declaration for 45 days, expanding it to additional areas of the country in an effort to fight criminal gangs amid high levels of violence. Honduras has freed dozens of individuals tied to organized crime a year after reforming its money laundering law. Certain routes that these take have been the target ofarmed attacks. Women, children and the LGBTQ+ community are the ones most affected and we have seen the demand for services skyrocket, while the organizations delivering aid need increased resources to be able to staff up to meet the urgent needs, says Meg Galas, director for northern Central America at the IRC.