Estimates of the number of active gang members range from 5,000 to 40,000. Gangsplay a big part of life here. San Pedro Sula (Spanish pronunciation: [sam pedo sula]) is the capital of Corts Department, Honduras.It is located in the northwest corner of the country in the Sula Valley, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Puerto Corts on the Caribbean Sea.With a population of 671,460 in the central urban area (2020 calculation) and a population of 1,445,598 in its metropolitan area in 2020 . 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. Investigations were underway at time of writing. It may have improved it actually. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time can seriously get you in trouble. Honduras isnt exactly what wed callsafe. Schools were closed from March onward due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Members of the military police of public order patrol a street during a special operation against criminal gangs in Tegucigalpa on 6 December. Members of the military police of public order get ready during a special operation in Tegucigalpa on 6 December. Lanza said drivers had been asking for a crackdown for years. Copyright International Rescue Committee, 2023. crises in 2022 in Latin America and the Caribbean, top 10 crises the world cant ignore in 2022, calling for stronger international cooperation, 2.8 million people in need of humanitarian aid, 36% of funding received for 2021 Humanitarian Response Plan, 937,000 disaster-induced displacements in 2020, 3.3 million people facing crisis or worse levels of food insecurity in 2022. In January 2020, the OHCHR released a report saying that the armed forces and military police had used excessiveeven lethalforce in response to the protests that followed the 2017 election. ThisCentral Americancountry suffers from what many countries in the region have suffered from or are currently battling with namely corruption, gangs,anddrugs. So long as violence in Honduras continues without impunity, major displacement will persist in 2022. Honduras. Just in case, thats No quiero compartir el taxi.. 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. We go into the field to interview, report and investigate. 20 Top Safety Tips for Traveling to Honduras. Also in February, the OAS special rapporteur on freedom of expression called on Honduras to decriminalize defamation and to properly investigate killings of journalists. Some areas have increased risk. His unit was headed to the Hole a labyrinthine neighbourhood of narrow streets, whose nickname was originally coined because of its location between sharp hillsides, but which has taken on a new meaning as a place where gang members disappear. As expected, the video went viral and the local newspapers made sure they put this trusted news source on their front page. FILE - Honduras' President Xiomara Castro addresses the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, Sept. 20, 2022. Taxis areall over the placein Honduras. The criminal justice system regularly fails to hold those responsible for homicides to account. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); Biodiversity is a huge part of Honduras. Trump, who is running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, announced a slate of futuristic new policies in a campaign video Friday. Im nervous, repeated a young police officer driving a pickup truck crowded with heavily armed special forces officers. The Inescapable Prison of Barrio 18 in Honduras, Death, Taxes, and Extortion: Why Latin American Companies Keep Paying Up, Timber Mafias - Preying on Latin Americas Forests, State and Community Responses to Extortion, A Mayor and a Wave of Narco Violence on Guatemala's Pacific, One Party, Many Crimes: The Case of Honduras National Party, Drug Trafficking and Political Protection in Paraguay: The Case of Cucho Cabaa, How Colombia Regulators Became Purveyors of Illegal Wood, The Logging Barons of Catacamas, Honduras, How Drug Cartels Moved into Illegal Logging in Mexico, Municipalities Fight Back in Guatemalas Gang-Preyed Upon Neighborhoods, How the Private Sector Helped Counter Rural Extortion in El Salvador. We dont want to recommend traveling to the rest of Honduras with your family. Share this via WhatsApp document.getElementById("ak_js_2").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); This website uses cookies to improve your experience. And there are roads that have higher levels ofattacks,including carjacking. Roatan is the more developed, more expensive, and family friendly big brother of Utila. 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. We are going to be covering a whole lot of topics in this epic Honduras safety guide. 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. San Pedro Sula, Honduras, has been given the unfortunate title of the most dangerous city in the world. In September, two men shot and killed journalist Luis Alonzo Almendares in Comayagua. There are 37 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, and all 18 provinces are. TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras -- Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency to fight gang crimes like extortion. Itcan be safe as a solo female traveler in Honduras. To Desafio, the Barrio 18 gang in Honduras was everything. Violent organized crime continues to disrupt Honduran society and push many people to leave the country. The rate of young people killing other young people is down to twomain gangs:Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) andBarrio 18. 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 if the peace in the condemning nations were to rupture the way it has in El Salvador and Honduras, we can bet they . 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. Sign up to receive the latest updates from U.S News & World Report and our trusted partners and sponsors. After a 2019 wave of gang violence that killed 37 detainees, President Hernndez declared a state of emergency and put prisons under military control. Gangs kill, disappear, rape, or displace those who resist. Wed,03/01/23-8:24AM, 1,088 Reads 16,082 Statewide. In El Salvador, a Thin Line Between Community Policing and Vigilantism. 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. Dont drink the water without treating, and steer clear of ice cubes,too. We do our best to advise but this info may already be out of date. 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. (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. People live here with children, by themselves, as couples, some retire here, and some people have even started up their own hostelsor otherbusinesses. Weve made it pretty clear that Honduras isnt the safest country. Overcrowding, inadequate nutrition, poor sanitation, beatings, intra-gang violence, and detainee killings are endemic in prisons. The government has set up roadblocks, deployed security forces, and used violence to prevent people from leaving the country. This is apretty safe area to visit. Abortionisillegalin Honduras in all circumstances. There are some safety pointsthat travelers should know for anywhere they travel, but Honduras requires these special considerations. A Honduran woman and her children manage to cross the remnants of a bridge destroyed by Hurricane Iota. I consent to my personal information being processed in accordance with The Broke Backpackers. The state of emergency, in place since Dec. 6 in 165 areas of Honduras' largest two cities, Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, has been expanded to 235 of the country's 298 municipalities, the national police said. Every year, more than 100,000 Hondurans are internally displaced, migrate, seek protection abroad, or are deported back to Honduras. Traveling here is definitely adventurous, but that doesnt mean its off-limits for solo travelers. 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. But its pretty damn special too. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? The streets of major cities like Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula are gripped by crime and conflict. Not only that, but thecorruptionin everything the low to the high levels of the politics here is standard. With those come violenceandpoverty. Please support our mission investigating organized crime. The story 6 gang members killed in Honduras prison was published by the Associated Press on 2022-07-04 18:29:24. 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. To make sure youre having a successful trip, weve listed the safest, and the no-go areas below. Honduras has been through a lot in recent years. Theyre fairly easy to use, but be aware of the risks. Of 25,000 gang members in 2012, nearly a fifth were children, UNICEF estimated. A study published in April reported that nearly half of teachers in rural areas had not been able to contact the majority of their students. Honduras Extends, Expands State of Emergency Meant to Fight Crime, 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. Latest News Profile Criminal Actors Investigations News Latest News So no. Youll also have to take care that your children dont stay in the sun fortoo long. Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2018 was 38.93, a 5.01% decline from 2017. Following domestic and international criticism, the government backtracked and a week later re-established constitutional free speech guarantees. Lots of travelers stick to bottled water,but please dont. 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. Again, thank you! City busestravel around the cities and towns themselves. 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 . If we didnt have Bukeles example, we could probably look for some control and security responses based on strengthening institutions.. Whether thats with friends and family back home, or with accommodation staff, or both. We need to address these immediate needs too.. They forcibly recruit children and sexually abuse women, girls, and LGBT people. STANTON COUNTY, Neb. A new country, a new contract, a new piece of plastic booooring. See the State Department's travel website for the Worldwide Caution and Travel Advisories. The government had granted him protective measures in January 2019. The rate of young people killing other young people is down to two main gangs : Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18. Youll most likely get watered-down versions of Honduran food and Western stuff. All rights reserved. A ferry also runs betweenTrujilloandGuanaja. The Supreme Court had upheld Romeros 10-year sentencein January 2020. Journalists, environmental activists, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT). Weve covered the main safety concerns already, but there are a few more things to know. Public buildings, transportation, and information and communication services open to the public are not fully accessible to people with disabilities. Reaching primary sources and getting the real story involve extensive fieldwork. 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. The law also sanctions abortion providers. Well Public transportation can be alittle trickyin Honduras, and its not always safe. Prosecutors and whistleblowers have received death threats. It was focused on the security, or lack of security in Honduras. Just 18 percent of Hondurans have internet access in their homes and a quarter of homes in rural areas dont have electricity. 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.
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