honduras crime news honduras crime news

Anyone else would do well with a trusted tour group. But the thing iswomen DO travel alone to Honduras. Honduras hasn't specified exactly what the state of emergency would entail, but normally such measures temporarily suspend normal rules regulating arrests and searches; sometime limits on freedom of speech and assembly are implemented as well. At the same time, we need to acknowledge that it will take time for systems to change, but families across Honduras cannot waitthey have immediate needs to be safe and secure. If you are a keen diver, Roatan is well worth a visit. Abortionisillegalin Honduras in all circumstances. Historically, governments have responded with iron-fist security strategies to combat organized crime, enacting tougher legislation and increasing police presence and mass detentions. Impunity for human rights abuses, violent crime, and corruption remains the norm, even as the prison population has mushroomed. Chatting to them means getting first-hand knowledge, and means your experience is going to be a lot richer. The effort comes amid complaints by business owners, the transportation sector and ordinary Hondurans that extortion by criminals has risen in recent months. 18th Street, also known as Calle 18, Barrio 18, Mara 18, or simply La 18 in Central America, is a multi-ethnic (largely Central American and Mexican) transnational criminal organization that started as a street gang in Los Angeles.It is one of the largest transnational criminal gangs in Los Angeles, with 65,000 members between the United States, Mexico, and Central America and is also allied . People here live in pretty supreme poverty 60%of the population living in poverty really isa lot of people. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Dont drink the water without treating, and steer clear of ice cubes,too. This perception has grown despite a slight reduction in homicides this year, according to preliminary data, and a significant drop over the past decade since Honduras held the ignominious title of the worlds most violent country. How to tackle it is another issue. The government relies heavily on the military for public security. Theyve been doing it since 2002 protecting, connecting, and inspiring independent travellers just like you. Share this via LinkedIn We wouldnt recommend members of the LGBTQ+ community to visit Honduras unless theyre prepared to keep any sort of affection behind closed doors. ThisCentral Americancountry suffers from what many countries in the region have suffered from or are currently battling with namely corruption, gangs,anddrugs. And theyre generally safe. Thats why weve listed and answered the most frequently asked questions on safety in Honduras. There is an expat community inTrujillo. This Central American country actually has one of the highest murder rates in the world. Nevertheless, the political gains to be had from emulating Bukeles hardline policies may be too enticing to pass up. Gang violence is a big issue in Honduras. Honduras has been through a lot in recent years. Honduras. Extortion in Latin America continues to bring in fortunes for criminal gangs. In July 2020, gunmen in police uniforms abducted five indigenous Garifuna men in Triunfo de la Cruz, where communities are claiming ancestral land from drug traffickers and developers. During the first month of the measures, 39 criminal gangs were destroyed and 652 people were arrested, while 43 kilos of cocaine and thousands of grams and rocks of crack were seized, the police said. Gangs kill, disappear, rape, or displace those who resist. 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. Get a quote below or read our in-depth review! Please donate. We travel with a filter bottle, the GRAYL GEOPRESS or we just boil the water for a few minutes and store in a refillable water bottle. 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. Then there are quite a lot of gang wars as well. Thats why we listed the no-go areas in Honduras below. Honduras isnt different from lots of other great backpacking countries in that youre never absolutely safe from food-borne illness. All of these are in Santa Barbara Department, which also sees hijackings aroundTela, La Ceiba, andEl Progresoas well asTrujillo. Many women are choosing to flee the violence in their communities. Sign in How Gangs Control Honduras VICE News 8.42M subscribers. To make sure youre having a successful trip, weve listed the safest, and the no-go areas below. Close, Is Honduras Safe for Travel? Violent organized crime continues to disrupt Honduran society and push many people to leave the country. Or gangs attacking Honduran citizens for not paying war tax. For years, street gangs have charged protection money from bus and taxi drivers and store owners in Honduras, as in neighboring El Salvador. Theyre old U.S. school buses that are poorly maintained,andovercrowded. The mission in early December was ostensibly to raid a casa loca, an abandoned home used by gang members. Marred by corruption and abuse, the judiciary and police remain largely ineffective. Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2017 was 40.98, a 26.23% decline from 2016. If youdo get one in the street, ensure that you tell the taxi driver that you dont want to share the taxi. You can too. Chances are, if you are arriving via a cruise ship, you will be safe. In addition, gang recruitment of minors has contributed to the increasing numbers of families and unaccompanied children leaving Honduras for Mexico, some planning to travel onward to the U.S.. These drug trafficking gangs rule peoples lives. According to Hugo Maldonado, president of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights in Honduras, this year has seen 116 femicides and 23 group murders, along with more than 1,356 violent. 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. It was focused on the security, or lack of security in Honduras. For now, there are 15,000 taxis who want your attention. Expat retirees, yachties, families with kids, and cruise ship tourists make up a large majority of the demographic found on Roatan at any given time. A Honduran woman and her children manage to cross the remnants of a bridge destroyed by Hurricane Iota. So, yeah. It may not exactly be classed as safe, but Honduras shouldnt be ignored. Some victims of extortion said that the only thing that has changed is how the money is collected. 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. Youll get the, If youve got no locals to ask, just use your eyes. Violent crime is at its peak in Honduras. Many people do travel to this particular part of Honduras,even with their families. These are pretty safe. The primary drivers of this violence are gangs like the Barrio 18 and MS13, which concentrate their criminal activities in urban areas and recruit young people, many of whom are suffering from widespread economic inequality and a lack of opportunity. Country Summary: Violent crime, such as homicide and armed robbery, is common. And if youre visiting as part of a tour, then youre likely to stay safe. The data was compiled by Citizen Council for Public Security, Justice, and Peace, a Mexican. The government had granted him protective measures in January 2019. You dont know how clean the persons hands are whos been peeling and chopping the, Dont go TOO in on the food when you first arrive, especially if you get ill from food quite easily. So when it comes to safetyin Honduras, we think youllgenerallybe fine, especially in the Bay Islands. But Honduras is far from Eden. It is not just murder, it's also the shocking numbers of rape, assault, and domestic violence cases, happening with near-total impunity. Well be answering super important questions including How safe is Honduras right now? and Is it safe to live in Honduras? We also give loads of tips for solo travelers and families. 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. Share this via Twitter By BRENT MAZE. Read about how e-Sims work or click below to see one of the top eSIM providers on the market andditch the plastic. led to the detention of more than 2% of its adult population. Its just that easy. So far, the state of exception in Honduras has produced some arrests and forced the gangs and other criminal groups to keep a lower profile. But this article is written for savvy travellers from the perspective of savvy travellers. Often, people with disabilities are threatened and subjected to extortion by criminal gangs. There is no exact number of the exodus, but according to the United States Customs and Border Protection Service, in 2020, they arrested 40,091 Hondurans, who were trying to enter the United States irregularly and until September 2021, this amount increased to 98,554 Honduran arrests, more than double the previous year. There are probably more sketchy areas in Honduras than there are safe ones. Everyone from children to adults are recruited. Radio Globo directorDavid Romero, convicted of defamation in 2016, died in prison from Covid-19 in July. Trump, who is running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, announced a slate of futuristic new policies in a campaign video Friday. Juan Orlando Hernndez extolled his achievements as. So. It might sound like paradiseBut it isnt. Otherwise, thanks for your ear and stay safe! For years, street gangs have charged protection money from bus and taxi drivers and store owners in Honduras, as in neighboring El Salvador. In these demonstrations, more than 1,500 were arrested and30 people were killed. Read more about the top 10 crises the world cant ignore in 2022, learn how the IRC selected these countries, and download the full 2022 Emergency Watchlist report for data citations and profiles of all 20 crisis countries on the IRC's list. Xiomara should hurry up and go after all those gang members, said Isidora Varela, 70, at her market stand in downtown Tegucigalpa. Investigating organized crime is an expensive and often risky enterprise. There are an estimated 115,000 gang members. Members include officers from the police, the military, and the Attorneys General Office. And Hondurascan be a safe place for solo female travelers, but wed only recommend it after some solo travel experience. Wed,03/01/23-8:26AM, 3 Reads. It can be a super enriching experience. You can catch a ferry from the mainland atLa Ceibato eitherUtilaorRoatan. Its a massive issue. Officials flew Garza, a 48-year-old . Theres a huge problem with single-use plastics in the Earths water and you dont have any assurance whatsoever that your bottles will be properly disposed of, even if youre careful to sort them in the proper bin. Because of human rights, crime has gone on so long, because human rights defend the criminal, and it shouldnt be like that, she said. All that in mind, there are places that expats dolive in Honduras. There are alsopassenger ferriesif you want to go totheBay Islands. However, More than2 million touristsvisited in 2017. Seth Sidney Berry / SOPA Images/Sipa USA (Sipa via AP Images), Share this via Facebook The rate of young people killing other young people is down to two main gangs : Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18. He estimated the companies and drivers have paid an average of about $10 million per month to the gangs in order to operate. Honduras is one of the Western Hemisphere's deadliest countries for journalists, with security forces representing their biggest threat, Reporters Without Borders noted in 2021. Please support our mission investigating organized crime. TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduran authorities reported on Monday the discovery of more than 1.6 million coca leaf bushes in the most important. We dont want to recommend traveling to the rest of Honduras with your family. And this area is great for children. In October, the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH), of which Cceres was president, complained of continued delays and a lack of transparency in the case. We provide specialized support for survivors of gender-based violence; create safe spaces for women, youth and the LGBTQ+ community; and also offer psychosocial counseling and social work support. Some areas have increased risk. With all the threats of violence, theres alow number of tourists, so oddly you can really have anauthentic experiencehere while getting to know Honduran women, too. In Honduras, one of the most violent countries in the world, 60 percent of deaths are attributed to organized crime. The US is losing allies in Latin America just as production of cocaine, fentanyl, and other synthetic drugs is going through the roof. A woman is killed every 23 hours on average, the National Autonomous University of Honduras Violence Observatory reports. They offer simple & flexible travel insurance, and safety advice to help you travel confidently. This is essentially anunsafecountry. Check in and let people know your plans. Honduras is one of the most important drug trafficking operation centers between South America and Mexico. Violence: Honduras reached a . The story 6 gang members killed in Honduras prison was published by the Associated Press on 2022-07-04 18:29:24. FromLimonestoLa Union, fromGualacotoSan Esteban,and fromLa EsperanzatoGraciasThese routes can bedangerous. But travelers DO take these buses. Gang wars and fights with the police are common in this city. Already vulnerable people in Honduras live in an evolving humanitarian crisis, says IRC protection coordinator Zuleyma Chahin. Extortions generate annual profits of up to $737 million for gangs, nearly 3% of the country's gross domestic product, according to data from Association for a More Just Society, a security-focused non-governmental organization. Whilst many people DO live here, it doesnt mean Honduras is safe to live. https://t.co/xQGbbyZXXv. Share this via Telegram This new donation is in addition to the 81,900 doses of Pfizer . 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. In 2013, Honduras reformed the penal code to recognize femicide as a crime. In 2018, the government created a special force to fight gangs (Fuerza Nacional Anti Maras y pandillas). Late Thursday, Honduran President Xiomara Castro proposed a measure to limit constitutional In certain areas, yes Honduras is safe to travel for families. Heres what you need to know about the growing crisis in Honduras. 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. 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. An audit of government purchases of medical supplies to fight Covid-19 revealed supplies worth tens of millions of dollars had gone missing. Instead, buy an eSIM! There are some safety pointsthat travelers should know for anywhere they travel, but Honduras requires these special considerations. Dont eat at tourist traps. The government of Honduras is committed to attracting more tourists. Its not 100% safe in Honduras. Its also a nice place since the ferry toUtilaruns from here, making it easy to escape to the tropical paradise of theBay Islandswhenever you feel like it. They are taxed by gangs. These. There is only anecdotal evidence of the scale of the problem because so few extortion victims report the crime, making a statistical analysis impossible. Sat Navs might not always tell you the best route. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. The first 2,000 inmates were transferred to El Salvador's new mega-prison for hardcore gangbangers. As of August 2020, more than 21,000 people were detained in prisons with capacity for just under 11,000. Political power brokers also have ties to drug smuggling and have even run trafficking operations themselves. Its prettyextreme. You should ask locals on the best routes to take to any given place. Chronic violence, climate crisis and the impacts of COVID-19 have deepened humanitarian needs and driven displacement. Every year, more than 100,000 Hondurans are internally displaced, migrate, seek protection abroad, or are deported back to Honduras. And what you had, you know, after the coup, while the U.S. did cut assistance, it was very. Suddenly you find yourself surrounded by backpackers, dive shops, hostels, burger shacks, smoothie stands, and pirate bars. Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. 2023, The Broke Backpacker. Inside Honduras' most dangerous gangs 127,396 views Mar 8, 2020 1.2K Dislike Share Save Sky News 5.19M subscribers Warning: this report contains blurred images of dead bodies which some viewers. Xiomara Castros crackdown on gangs is also an attempt to counter allegations the government hasnt done enough to combat crime. A local TV correspondent needed to do a live shot for one of the countrys most-watched news programs. But you wont be (in a Honduran gang, that is). They practice "war taxing", which is essentially just demanding money from people. President Xiomara Castro, center, with the minister of defense, Jose Manuel Zelaya, and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Jos Jorge Fortn, at a military ceremony in Tegucigalpa on 9 December. The information present in this safety guide was accurate at the time of writing, however, the world is a changeable place, now more than ever. (Insider Tips), https://www.facebook.com/gratefulgypsies/, https://www.instagram.com/gratefulgypsies/, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn5T0r4o5KV4qoyQyR7Buww, https://www.pinterest.com/gratefulgypsies/, Traveller, teacher, writer, and bonafide music lover, Rachel Lee is a Tennessee-born human with a passion for movement. Theres a lot to learn about Honduras that goes beyond gangs and beaches. So no. We go into the field to interview, report and investigate. So backpacking Honduras isnt always just a breeze. Security Minister Oscar Alvarez says police have identified two suspects among the five attackers . Two private security officers were charged. But if you meet the local ladies andlearn about their livesyoure going to have a VERY enriching experience on your hands. Violent organized crime continues to disrupt Honduran society and push many people to leave the country. Youll need to be a confident traveler. This helps keep everyone in poverty. According to a State Department report last year, there are up to 10,000 gang members in Honduras, a country with roughly 8 million people. 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. According to the U.N., Honduras has the highest femicide rate in the world. The IACHR expressed concern in 2019 regarding the critical levels of impunity and inadequate and insufficient attention to victims of human rights violations. The country has the second-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. The inmates, all from Honduras, had reportedly escaped custody yesterday in . Gangs attacking other gangs. That being said, its still one of the murder capitals in the world, so if youre an inexperienced travellers, you wont be safe. msn back to msn home news Skip To Navigation Since 2017, the government has operated centers to support returned migrants. To Desafio, the Barrio 18 gang in Honduras was everything. We strive to provide the most relevant travel information on the web and always appreciate input from our readers (nicely, please!). As world leaders met for the United Nations General Assembly, Latin American presidents expressed various concerns about organized crime. The IRC is calling for stronger international cooperation to address the humanitarian crisis that displaces hundreds of thousands from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala every year. Read on for more detailed information on how to have a safe trip to Honduras. After a 2019 wave of gang violence that killed 37 detainees, President Hernndez declared a state of emergency and put prisons under military control. Estimates of the number of active gang members range from 5,000 to 40,000. People live here with children, by themselves, as couples, some retire here, and some people have even started up their own hostelsor otherbusinesses. Also in February, the OAS special rapporteur on freedom of expression called on Honduras to decriminalize defamation and to properly investigate killings of journalists. Rights activists say young men are frequently arrested just based on their age, appearance or whether they live in a gang-dominated slum. Members of the military police of public order get ready during a special operation in Tegucigalpa on 6 December. The former vice president has become the Democratic front-runner with primary victories across the country. One example:tajadas(fried plantains, topped with cabbage and served with ground beef). Itcan be safe as a solo female traveler in Honduras. Patrick said the inmates were captured about 7:45 AM in downtown Newton. Half of underage pregnancies result from rape. Especiallythrough a tour company. Note that they are generally safe to visit during the day (with a bit of caution obviously), especially if you have a local guide, but should be fully avoided at night. Violence against LGBT individuals forces many to leave their homes, fleeing internally or leaving the country to seek asylum. Roatan is the more developed, more expensive, and family friendly big brother of Utila. Abuses by security forces, including alleged collusion with criminal organizations, and weak state institutions, have contributed to the persistence of gang violence. Almendares had repeatedly received death threats since 2017 in relation to his reporting. Honduras Honduras declares war against gangs - and for control of popular narrative Xiomara Castro's crackdown on gangs is also an attempt to counter allegations the government hasn't done. Domestic and sexual violence are also widespread, with women and children bearing the brunt. Since 2020, the number of Hondurans in need of humanitarian assistance has more than doubled, while food insecurity has increased due to consecutive climate shocks, rising food prices and the economic impacts of COVID-19. Bukeles example resonates in societies with a fragile institutional framework and with a tendency towards populism and authoritarianism, said Ismael Moreno, a human rights defender. Judges continue to face interference, including political pressure, threats, and harassment, from the executive branch, private actors with connections to government, and organized crime. On Friday, Jorge Lanza the leader of the bus operators in Honduras, supported the move, saying bus drivers were tired of being threatened and killed for not paying protection money. The question of Is Honduras Safe? will ALWAYS have a different answer depending on the parties involved. More than half of detained men and two-thirds of detained women were in pretrial detention. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, File), Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. So whilst its gettingsafer, its a slow process. Again, thank you! The likelihood of you getting caught up in all that relies very much on you being somehow related to one of the gangs.