Criminals expanded the use of social network platforms to recruit victims, often with false promises of employment, and continued to target vulnerable populations. However, there can be communal tension over land ownership, natural resource allocation, and exploitation. 0. Last update: October 2022. 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. In 2021, almost 39 homicides were committed per 100,000 inhabitants in Honduras. Criminals and pickpockets target visitors as they enter and depart airports and hotels, so visitors should consider carrying their passports and valuables in a concealed pouch. Honduras has a high homicide rate, with a murder rate of 36 people per 100,000 in 2020. The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts. Honduran regulations prohibited charging recruitment fees to workers, but the government did not report enforcement of these regulations in 2020. The UNSDG has a strengthened coordination system that works at a country, regional and global level. Armed men have forced vehicles transporting tourists off the road and robbed the victims, occasionally assaulting the driver or passengers. Honduras lacks the infrastructure to maintain water purity and food safety. The government identified fewer victims overall and investigated, prosecuted, and convicted fewer suspects. Crime Information for Tourists in Honduras Crime is widespread in Honduras and requires a high degree of caution by U.S. visitors and residents alike. Traffickers exploit victims within their own homes or communities, including sometimes their own family members or friends. The Inescapable Prison of Barrio 18 in Honduras BARRIO 18 / 17 JAN 2023 To Desafio, the Barrio 18 gang in Honduras was everything. Two U.S. citizens reported incidents of rape or sexual assault between January and September 2013. what did the menendez brothers parents do to them osac crime and safety report honduras Posted on July 8, 2021by Published by at June 7, 2022. These efforts included identifying more victims of labor trafficking, including children forced to commit unlawful acts, and increasing funding for the Inter-institutional Commission to Combat Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking in Persons (CICESCT). The government modernized its national identification card system and began distributing new national identification cards in February 2021. Limited inspections could facilitate movements of terrorists. Honduras requires proof of Yellow Fever immunization if coming from another country endemic with Yellow Fever. Incidents of crime along roads, including carjacking and kidnapping, are common in Honduras. Visas - Most countries do not need a visa in order to enter Honduras for any stays shorter than 30 days.Make sure your passport is valid for at least six months past your date of arrival. The law on safe houses needs to be passed! Yes, despite all the historical crime and violence, which don't affect tourists, El Salvador is safe to visit in 2023. The Honduras Medical Center (HMC) is the primary private hospital that the Embassy uses for emergency response and when hospitalization is required. Review OSACs reports, The Overseas Travelers Guide to ATM Skimmers & Fraud and Taking Credit. The San Pedro Sula area has seen armed robberies against tourist vans, minibuses, and cars traveling from the airport to area hotels. The current U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory at the date of this reports publication assesses Honduras at Level 3, indicating travelers should reconsider travel due to crime. If you use our chart images on your site or blog, we ask that you provide attribution via a link back to this page. When possible, travel in groups. During the pandemic, violence cases against women increased significantly; the number of emergency calls rose to 282 per day. Union leaders and labor activists in both the public and private sector face harassment, dismissal, and violence for their activities. Shall I live on, or shall I die? The U.S. Embassy estimates at least 30,000 U.S. citizens reside in Honduras. Honduras Crime Rate & Statistics 1990-2023, Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2020 was, Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2019 was, Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2018 was, Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2017 was. Thefts, break-ins, assaults, rapes, and murders do occur. Head of Police Gustavo Snchez 7 Feb said state of emergency, first imposed in Dec 2022 to tackle extortion, had reduced average number of homicides per day from nine in 2022 to seven so far in 2023. . The limited capacity of the government to enforce international standards related to natural resource exploitation has resulted in higher levels of conflict in the extractive and electrical generation industries. Only sealed commercial water containers (bottles) are considered safe to drink. The government cooperated with the Governments of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico to investigate trafficking cases and detain suspects. Children, including from indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, particularly Miskito boys, are at risk for forced labor in the agricultural, construction, manufacturing, mining, and hospitality industries. The governments disaggregated victim data included some victims of related crimes such as child pornography; all identified victims were Honduran citizens and included 43 children and 24 adults, 56 females and 10 males, and one LGBTQI+ individual. My appreciation and congratulations to Ana Cruz and the fantastic work of safe houses! 0. U.S. organizations and citizens report corruption in the public sector and the judiciary is a significant constraint to investment in Honduras. We have provided a few examples below that you can copy and paste to your site: Your image export is now complete. Please check your download folder. Honduran law prohibited the prosecution of victims for unlawful acts traffickers compelled them to commit. Traffickers exploit Honduran adults and children in forced labor in street vending, forced begging, domestic service, drug trafficking, and the informal sector in their own country, as well as forced labor in other countries, particularly Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States. Always carry a mobile phone in case of emergency. El Salvador is not dangerous for travelers as violence has declined to its lowest level in over 30 years. Caption: Honduras has the highest femicide rates in Latin America. The Public Ministry trained 160 prosecutors on human trafficking including on new provisions in the penal code, and the governments judicial training school trained select magistrates, judges, and justices of the peace on human trafficking issues. By comparison, the United States has a global safety ranking of 128. For years, street gangs have charged protection money from bus and taxi drivers and store owners in Honduras, as in neighboring El Salvador. The following diseases are prevalent in Honduras: Chikungunya, Dengue Fever, Malaria, and Zika. The government followed a regional protocol to facilitate the repatriation of victims identified abroad and funded food, transportation, and lodging for such victims through a fund administered by the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Honduras removed the offense of sex tourism from its amended penal code, and the government did not investigate or prosecute any suspected trafficking cases in the tourism sector. 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. If you use our datasets on your site or blog, we ask that you provide attribution via a link back to this page. 1. . Hondurans continue to be affected by MS-13 and Calle 18 gang activity in cities such as Tegucigalpa, Choloma, La Ceiba, Tela, and San Pedro Sula. However, protesters will also block, key intercity transportation routes and intracity intersections with burning tires, rocks and other debris, to include the roads leading to the international airports in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, and the CA-5 and CA-11 highways. Violent transnational criminal organizations are also involved in narcotics trafficking and other illicit commerce. Honduras - Safety & Security ; Honduras - Country Commercial Guide Honduras Country Commercial Guide. Is Honduras Safe to Travel Alone Traveling solo is becoming more popular and within Latin America, more people including myself have set out to travel alone. CICESCT sustained its efforts to provide immediate protection to victims and coordinate additional services among other stakeholders without interruption throughout the pandemic. LGBTI+ travelers should exercise caution, especially when expressing affection in public. Overall corruption helped facilitate trafficking crimes. The government maintained prosecution efforts. Safety in El Salvador. "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. 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. The government places specially trained police forces in areas tourists frequent (e.g. The Honduran government is modernizing some of the main transportation road networks to four-lane highways, which can lead to increased travel times because of ongoing construction. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. Amend the penal code to ensure the penalties prescribed for trafficking crimes are commensurate with the penalties prescribed for other grave crimes, such as rape. Individuals or small groups usually commit homicide, whereas killing in armed conflict is usually committed by fairly cohesive groups of up to several hundred members and is thus usually excluded. Honduras is a signatory to the International Labor Organizations 169 Convention, which requires free prior notice and informed consent from indigenous communities before any development projects can begin; the congress has not approved a law regulating this process. There have been frequent incidents of carjacking and highway robbery on a number of roads including the main highway (CA-5) between San Pedro Sula and Siguatepeque, with the greatest risk between Potrerillos and Pito Solo in the lake area. 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. Country Summary: Violent crime, such as homicide and armed robbery, is common. Those planning travel to Gracias a Dios should consider postponing their travel. Total Local Production. 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. 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. Other Honduran government agencies also provided funds from their budgets for victim assistance. Penalties for the possession, use, or trafficking of illegal narcotics are strict; convicted offenders can expect lengthy jail sentences and fines. The government did not provide an update on its investigation of alleged sexual exploitation of a female prisoner in a correctional facility from the previous year. Detained U.S. citizens should insist on speaking to U.S. Embassy representatives as soon as possible. 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. Contact OSACs Latin America team with any questions or to join. Armed robbery is a common problem, with armed bandits attacking minibusses and vans loaded with tourists traveling from the airport to their hotels in San Pedro Sula. Home. To find out more about the results of our work in this area and in others, read the UNSDG Chair's report on the Office for Development Coordination. Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, La Ceiba) have homicide rates higher than the national average, as do several Honduran departments (a geographic designation like U.S. States), including Atlntida, Coln, Corts, San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa, and Yoro.