Although 74 percent of births were attended by skilled health care personnel, NGOs reported that there were significant gaps in obstetric care, especially in rural areas. 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. In many industries, including agriculture, cleaning, and security, employers did not respect maternity rights or pay minimum wage, overtime, or vacation. Children, including from indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, particularly Miskito boys, were at risk for forced labor in the fishing, mining, construction, and hospitality industries. World Bank statistics put net enrollment for primary school above 90 percent, but the National Center for Social Sector Information stated that 43 percent of persons with disabilities received no formal education. The law provides for freedom of internal movement, foreign travel, emigration, and repatriation, and the government generally respected these rights. Police later arrested the guard accused of killing Alvarez. Invest-H, the agency in charge of purchasing medical supplies during the pandemic, purchased seven mobile hospitals for 1.13 billion lempiras ($47 million), more than 289.4 million lempiras ($12 million) above the manufacturers quoted price. According to witnesses, the kidnappers wore police investigative branch uniforms. An IACHR report noted there were insufficient hospital beds and inadequate supplies at the only hospital that services Gracias a Dios Department, home to the majority of the Miskito community. The law requiring prisoners to work at least five hours a day, six days a week took effect in 2016. The STSS completed 13 inspections as of March and did not find any minors working without permission. 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. Respect for Civil Liberties, Including: a. The number of inspections dropped severely from 2019 as a result of the national curfew imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Public Ministry reported 15 cases of alleged illegal detention or arbitrary arrest as of November. The STSS approved 43 such authorizations through September. Introductory offer for new subscribers only. On April 2, a private security guard for the sugar company La Grecia shot and killed land rights defender Iris Argentina Alvarez Chavez during a confrontation between land rights defenders and private guards. The Autonomous University of Honduras Violence Observatory reported 13 arbitrary or unlawful killings by security forces during the year. A federal grand jury on Friday indicted the man accused of shooting two Jewish men in February with hate crime and firearm offenses, the US Attorney's Office for the Central On average, children living in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador are 10 times more likely to be killed than a child who lives in the United States. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. The government generally respected these provisions. Five other cases were under investigation. On January 10, unknown assailants shot and killed Tolupan indigenous leader Vicente Saavedra in Morazan, Yoro Department. Some Hondurans reported being beaten as they attempted to cross the country. There were several reports that the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings. According to Autonomous University of Honduras Violence Observatory statistics, killings of women decreased under the national curfew in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Anticorruption efforts remained an area of concern, as did the governments ability to protect justice sector officials, such as prosecutors and judges. Major urban centers and drug-trafficking routes experienced the highest rates of violence. By law women have equal access to educational opportunities. The regional [] It also provides for paid national holidays and annual leave. The law was not effectively enforced, and weak public institutional structures contributed to the inadequate enforcement. The long-term history of gangs in Honduras can be traced all the way back to the fall of the Spanish Empire in the mid 1800s. By August it had provided protection to two journalists, among other types of activists and human rights defenders. Penalties for facilitating child sex trafficking are 10 to 15 years in prison, with substantial fines. The Secretariat of Human Rights noted an exponential increase in gender-based violence and domestic violence during the national curfew. Credible allegations of corruption in the Secretariat of Labor continued. On January 9, 2018, the Honduran State confirmed the on-site visit to Honduras on the dates proposed by the IACHR. The Secretariat of Human Rights reported that as of September 2, the total prison population was 21,675 in 25 prisons and three detention centers. Download Historical Data Participation of Women and Members of Minority Groups: No laws limit the participation of women or members of minority groups in the political process, and they did participate. Q: What happened to the original stars of "The Wild Wild West"? In these sectors employers frequently paid workers for the standard 44-hour workweek no matter how many additional hours they worked. The law permits fines, and while the monetary penalty is sufficient to deter violations and commensurate with the penalties for similar crimes, such as fraud, the failure of the government to collect those fines facilitated continued labor code violations. The law prohibits all of the worst forms of child labor. Abuse of Migrants, Refugees, and Stateless Persons: Transiting migrants and asylum seekers with pending cases were vulnerable to abuse by criminal organizations. The law does not authorize pretrial detention for crimes with a maximum sentence of five years or less. DIDADPOL conducted internal investigations of HNP members in a continuation of the police purge begun in 2016. 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. Organized-crime 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. In 2019 the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center NGO estimated there were approximately 247,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country due to violence. Libel/Slander Laws: Citizens, including public officials, may initiate criminal proceedings for libel and slander. On August 5, an appeals court dismissed charges against 22 defendants indicted in the so-called Pandora case, a 2013 scheme that allegedly funneled 289.4 million lempiras ($12 million) in government agricultural funds to political campaigns. Inspectors began undergoing virtual training in new technology in March in response to the challenges brought about by the pandemic and national curfew. The COVID-19 lockdown and curfew affected sex workers income and further exacerbated existing vulnerabilities. The West Bank and Gaza Strip. Significant human rights issues included: unlawful or arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings; torture and cases of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest or detention; killings of and threats to media members by criminal elements; criminalization of libel, although no cases were reported; serious acts of corruption including by high level officials; lack of investigation of and accountability for violence against women; and threats and violence against indigenous, Afro-descendant communities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex persons. CRIME AND INSECURITY IN HONDURAS . Discrimination, Societal Abuses, and Trafficking in Persons, Acts of Violence, Criminalization, and Other Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, a. Office of the Special Envoy for Critical and Emerging Technology, Office of the U.S. The IACHR conducted its visit between July 30 and August 3, 2018. Underscoring heightened risks facing transgender women involved in sex work, the PBI cited three alleged incidents where security forces degraded transgender women for violating the nationwide COVID-19 curfew, including by striking at least one of the individuals. The National Prison Institute (INP) reported 12 violent deaths. The law does not cover domestic workers. The Federation of Agroindustry Workers Unions reported massive layoffs and cancelation of contracts in the maquila sector during the pandemic without providing welfare benefits. The combined homicide rate per 100 thousand population remains low, with steep declines in some countries and remaining stable in others. By comparison, the United States has a global safety ranking of 128. These reporting centers were in addition to the 298 government-operated womens officesone in each municipalitythat provided a wide array of services to women, focusing on education, personal finance, health, social and political participation, environmental stewardship, and prevention of gender-based violence. The Association for a Better Life and the Cattrachas Lesbian Network both reported 16 violent deaths of LGBTI persons as of September. The Public Ministry created a new anticorruption unit, the Special Prosecution Unit against Corruption Networks, which is charged with pursuing MACCIH legacy corruption cases. It prohibits employer retribution against employees for engaging in trade union activities. This helps keep everyone in poverty. The National Migration Institute secretary general, responsible for final case determinations, had not resumed this function as of October. Number of. | Learn more about Daniel Jackson's work experience, education, connections & more by visiting their profile on LinkedIn Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost her bid for a second term Tuesday, failing to make a top-two runoff in the latest demonstration of growing concerns about crime in one of the nation's largest . Rape and Domestic Violence: The law criminalizes all forms of rape of women or men, including spousal rape. The director of Invest-H, Marco Antonio Bogran Corrales, resigned from his position in July and was indicted in October on two corruption charges for embezzling an estimated 1.3 million lempiras ($54,000) in public funds and funneling a contract for mobile hospitals to his uncle. Get full access to the Ojai Valley news and sports coverage, as well as arts and entertainment, opinions and more. Transgender individuals noted their inability to update identity documents to reflect their gender identity. The government did not effectively enforce the law. By the end of 2019, over 800,000 people from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras had sought protection either within their countries or had crossed international borders seeking asylum to escape. Home. . Police arrested Ramon David Zelaya Hernandez on July 4 and Edward David Zalavarria Galeas on July 6 as the two main suspects in the killings. The Office of the Inspector General of the Armed Forces and the Humanitarian Law Directorate investigated and arrested members of the military accused of human rights abuses. COLUMBUS Ohio Gov. Freedom of Association and the Right to Collective Bargaining, b. Public-sector trade unionists raised concerns about government interference in trade union activities, including its suspension or ignoring of collective agreements and its dismissals of union members and leaders. Censorship or Content Restrictions: Media members and NGOs stated the press self-censored due to fear of retaliation from organized-crime groups or corrupt government officials. The law mandates that the Supreme Auditing Tribunal monitor and verify disclosures. The national curfew and shutdown of government offices in response to COVID-19 severely hampered government efforts to address abuses during most of the year. Bernardez was a leader in the Punta Piedra community. Although the Interinstitutional Security Force reports to the National Security and Defense Council, it plays a coordinating role and did not exercise broad command and control functions over other security forces except during interagency operations involving those forces. On November 23, the court halted the presentation of evidence hearing after the defense filed an appeal. The law requires overtime pay, bans excessive compulsory overtime, limits overtime to four hours a day for a maximum workday of 12 hours, and prohibits the practice of requiring workers to complete work quotas before leaving their place of employment. The Honduran National Police maintain internal security and report to the Secretariat of Security. Women and girls may face criminal penalties after having miscarriages or abortions, and NGOs reported some women delayed or avoided seeking necessary medical care for fear of being arrested. The quasi-governmental National Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment (CONAPREV) received 210 complaints of the use of torture or cruel and inhuman treatment, many related to the enforcement of the national curfew during the COVID-19 pandemic. 4.1.1 The US Congressional Research Service (USCRS) report on Honduras of 20 April 2020 noted that 'The country's current Constitution established a representative democracy with a separation of powers among an executive branch led by the president, a legislative branch consisting of a 128-seat There were no credible reports of political prisoners or detainees. COFADEH reported an increase of complaints regarding the use of excessive and disproportionate force by security forces under the national curfew. Pretrial Detention: Judicial inefficiency, corruption, and insufficient resources delayed proceedings in the criminal justice system, and lengthy pretrial detention was a serious problem. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor, c. Prohibition of Child Labor and Minimum Age for Employment, d. Discrimination with Respect to Employment and Occupation. The law regulates child labor, sets the minimum age for employment at age 14, and regulates the hours and types of work that minors younger than 18 may perform. The law prohibits all forms of forced labor, but the government did not effectively implement or enforce the law. As of September the Secretariat of Human Rights reported the countrys three pretrial detention centers held 79 individuals. Despite the emergency decree, CONAPREV reported that violence in the prison system continued unabated. 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. The director of the national disaster management agency, Gabriel Rubi, was removed from his position in April. The legal process against Roberto David Castillo Mejia, one of the alleged intellectual authors of the killing, continued slowly due to motions and appeals by the defense, and Castillo remained incarcerated. The Ministry of Securitys Directorate of Disciplinary Police Affairs (DIDADPOL) investigated members of the Honduran National Police (HNP) accused of human rights abuses. The law allows persons charged with some felonies to avail themselves of bail and gives prisoners the right of prompt access to family members. The lack of space for social distancing combined with the lack of adequate sanitation made prison conditions even more life threatening during the COVID-19 pandemic. The violence is carried out by local drug trafficking groups, gangs, corrupt security forces and transnational criminal organizations mainly from Mexico and Colombia. Impunity for such crimes was a problem, as was the impunity rate for all types of crime. honduras crime and safety report 2021mary calderon quintanilla 27 februari, 2023 / i list of funerals at luton crematorium / av / i list of funerals at luton crematorium / av The law prohibits employers from requiring pregnancy tests as a prerequisite for employment; penalties were not sufficient to deter violations. The Human Rights Board condemned some of these arrests as arbitrary under the guise of curfew enforcement. The government tasks CONAPREV with visiting prisons and making recommendations for protecting the rights of prisoners. Through September the secretariat trained 2,764 law enforcement officials in human rights and international humanitarian law. El Salvador used to have a high crime rate, but that is not the case anymore. Defendants may receive free assistance from an interpreter. The government continued to prosecute some officials who committed abuses, but a weak judicial system and corruption were major obstacles to gaining convictions. The country last held national and local elections in November 2017. As of June the Violence Observatory reported killings of 71 persons younger than 18. the 2017 Annual Report. Persons with HIV and AIDS continued to be targets of discrimination, and they suffered disproportionately from gender-based violence. 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. International Child Abductions: The country is a party to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. The prosecution may request an additional six-month extension, but many detainees remained in pretrial detention much longer, including for more time than the maximum period of incarceration for their alleged crime. The World Bank reported in 2018 that the adolescent birth rate was 72 births per 1,000 15-19-year-olds. Specialties: Executive management, negotiations, project approval and feasibility, business development, strategy, project management, quality, audit and risk management, business resilience, corporate governance. Section 1. Corruption: On March 13, the Supreme Court of Justice ordered a new trial for former first lady Rosa Elena Bonilla de Lobo, spouse of former president Porfirio Lobo, who was convicted in August 2019 of fraud and misappropriation of public funds and sentenced to 58 years in prison. Recent Elections: In December 2017 Juan Orlando Hernandez of the National Party was declared the winner in the November elections. The law does not permit active members of the military or civilian security forces to vote. 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. Peace Brigades International (PBI) reported more than 34,000 persons were detained for violating the curfew. The Public Ministry reported five such cases undergoing trial, with four cases in the sentencing phase of trial. The STSS has the power to declare a work stoppage illegal, and employers may discipline employees consistent with their internal regulations, including by firing strikers, if the STSS rules that a work stoppage is illegal. Yes, despite all the historical crime and violence, which don't affect tourists, El Salvador is safe to visit in 2023. Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2019 was 42.01, a 7.91% increase from 2018. There were no credible reports of disappearances by or on behalf of government authorities. Add data for Roatan Consider looking into aggregate data we have for Crime in Honduras Crime 0 120 51.16 Crime rates in Roatan, Honduras Safety in Roatan, Honduras Contributors: 7 Last update: October 2022 These data are based on perceptions of visitors of this website in the past 3 years. is a specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes the development of international air navigation safety and security . The law permits fines, and while the monetary penalty is commensurate with those for other laws involving denials of civil rights, such as discrimination, the failure of the government to collect those fines facilitated continued labor law violations. The law grants prisoners the right to prompt access to a lawyer of their choice and, if indigent, to government-provided counsel, although the public defender mechanism was weak, and authorities did not always abide by these requirements. NGOs reported irregularities, including problems with voter rolls, buying and selling of electoral workers credentials, and lack of transparency in campaign financing. The law allows the release of other suspects pending formal charges, on the condition that they periodically report to authorities, although management of this reporting mechanism was often weak. Freedom of Press and Media, Including Online Media: Independent media were active and expressed a wide variety of views without restriction. The law prohibits discrimination based on gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, political opinion or affiliation, marital status, race or national origin, language, nationality, religion, family affiliation, family or economic situation, disability, health, physical appearance, or any other characteristic that would offend the victims human dignity. Coercion in Population Control: There were no reports of coerced abortion or involuntary sterilization on the part of government authorities. You can add more than one country or area. Both the STSS and the courts may order a company to reinstate workers, but the STSS lacked the means to verify compliance. Displaced Children: Civil society organizations reported that common causes of forced displacement for youth included death threats for failure to pay extortion, attempted recruitment by gangs, witnessing criminal activity by gangs or organized-crime groups, domestic violence, attempted kidnappings, family members involvement in drug dealing, victimization by traffickers, rape including commercial sexual exploitation by gangs, discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, sexual harassment, and discrimination for having a chronic medical condition. 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. Nevertheless, social discrimination against LGBTI persons persisted, as did physical violence. Ethnic minority rights leaders, international NGOs, and farmworker organizations continued to claim the government failed to redress actions taken by security forces, government agencies, and 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. 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. 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. The PBI reported an incident on April 23 near Tela, Atlantida Department, involving the alleged use of live rounds by police in response to a protest, injuring two individuals. Penalties include prison sentences of up to five years and monetary fines. Honduras Honduras, long one of the poorest countries in Latin America, is now also among the most violent and crime-ridden. 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. Arbitrary Arrest: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government instituted a national curfew, suspending constitutional provisions and limiting the free movement of individuals. The government continued to prosecute individuals allegedly involved in the 2016 killing of environmental and indigenous activist Berta Caceres. CONAPREV reported every prison had a functioning health clinic with at least one medical professional, but basic medical supplies and medicines were in short supply throughout the prison system.