Gangsplay a big part of life here. Women - Honduras has the fifth-highest rate of violence against women in the world. So when it comes to safetyin Honduras, we think youllgenerallybe fine, especially in the Bay Islands. Nearly 3.3 million people, or one in three Hondurans, were experiencing crisis or worse levels of food insecurity by late 2021. However, whilst its quite dangerous, the government is promoting tourism in Honduras. Wed,03/01/23-8:26AM, 3 Reads. It was focused on the security, or lack of security in Honduras. Thats why we listed the no-go areas in Honduras below. Hondurans are warm and welcoming people whohave to live day in, day out with the violence in their country. And Hondurascan be a safe place for solo female travelers, but wed only recommend it after some solo travel experience. 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. The story 6 gang members killed in Honduras prison was published by the Associated Press on 2022-07-04 18:29:24. Theres a lot of fresh fish in places like, Steer clear of anything that you cant peel yourself. The Supreme Court had upheld Romeros 10-year sentencein January 2020. Not really. Police were allegedly in the area when private security forces opened fired against several families but did not help the victims, witnesses told the press. The Newton Police Department has arrested three escaped inmates from Scott County, according to Newton police chief, Randy Patrick. Many women are choosing to flee the violence in their communities. Couple that with 470 miles of (mainly) Caribbean coastline, a load of beaches and tropical islands, as well asMayan ruinsand you got yourself adream destination. If youre not on a highwayyoull probably need a 44. The rate of young people killing other young people is down to two main gangs : Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18. There is only anecdotal evidence of the scale of the problem because so few extortion victims report the crime, making a statistical analysis impossible. Crisis in Honduras: Ongoing violence and climate shocks Here are three reasons the International Rescue Committee's Emergency Watchlist ranks Honduras among 20 countries most at risk of worsening humanitarian crisis in 2022. That means suncream, sun-hats, and limiting time in the sun. Weve covered the main safety concerns already, but there are a few more things to know. A large chunk of thosearrived via cruise ships, however. Feb. 21, 2023, at 6:11 p.m. Honduras Extends, Expands State of Emergency for Second Time. Although there is a law that provides higher penalties for bias-based crimes, including on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, the Attorney Generals office told Human Rights Watch in September 2020 that no one has been convicted under the law. 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. The flavors, spices and. People here live in pretty supreme poverty 60%of the population living in poverty really isa lot of people. 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. If you see any outdated information in this guide, we would really appreciate it if you could reach out in the comments below. Violent crime is at its peak in Honduras. They offer simple & flexible travel insurance, and safety advice to help you travel confidently. Honduras isnt a gay-friendly country, however, there are some movements that are going in the right direction. Almendares had repeatedly received death threats since 2017 in relation to his reporting. It included provisions that appeared aimed at reducing penalties for politicians linked to organized crime, by lowering sentences for corruption and related offenses. Close, Is Honduras Safe for Travel? Dont open the door for anyone, unless youre expecting a visit. These are pretty safe. All of these are in Santa Barbara Department, which also sees hijackings aroundTela, La Ceiba, andEl Progresoas well asTrujillo. Honduras Private Sector and Anti-Extortion Police: An Unholy Alliance? Radio Globo directorDavid Romero, convicted of defamation in 2016, died in prison from Covid-19 in July. msn back to msn home news Skip To Navigation Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2019 was 42.01, a 7.91% increase from 2018. If youdo get one in the street, ensure that you tell the taxi driver that you dont want to share the taxi. A woman is killed every 23 hours on average, the National Autonomous University of Honduras Violence Observatory reports. The UNspecialrapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders called Honduras one of the most dangerous countries for human rights defenders in Latin America. We need to address these immediate needs too.. Members of the military police of public order get ready during a special operation in Tegucigalpa on 6 December. 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. That said, the development that has taken place has not totally sucked the island dry of its charm. You can definitely push your luck by staying in the wrong neighborhood as well. In June 2020, a new criminal code came into effect. Naturally, youre going to be wondering, Is Honduras safe? That is why we have created this insiders guide looking at the safety of travelers in Honduras. Subscribe. 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. This is apretty safe area to visit. They practice war taxing, which is essentially just demanding money from people. Between the pandemic, ever-worsening cultural division, and a click-hungry media, it can be hard to maintain what is truth and what is sensationalism. According to the U.N., Honduras has the highest femicide rate in the world. The IRC serves people and families in vulnerable situations or at increased risk for violence and displacement, including those who are uprooted by violence or returning after seeking safety in other countries. Your laptop deserves a proper pack, and we know a good few! We get it. It may not exactly be classed as safe, but Honduras shouldnt be ignored. Independent travel is going to require A LOT of being careful. Corruption, fear of retribution, and limited access to essential health services . The new criminal code decriminalized defamation, but retains other crimes of honorincluding insult and slanderwhich have been used to prosecute journalists in the past. Namely, being robbed. A Honduran woman and her children manage to cross the remnants of a bridge destroyed by Hurricane Iota. El Salvador and Honduras have been condemned by the "civilized" world. This is due to negotiationsbetween criminal groups and the government, and possibly because of economic aid from the US. It suspends some Constitutional rights and gives police more powers to arrest and hold suspects. The violence is carried out by local drug trafficking groups, gangs, corrupt security forces and transnational criminal organizations mainly from Mexico and Colombia. Youre connected. Impunity for human rights abuses, violent crime, and corruption remains the norm, even as the prison population has mushroomed. Share this via Email How to tackle it is another issue. Efforts to reform public-security institutions have stalled. But its pretty damn special too. 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. I agree with Bukele and I want the same here. ThisCentral Americancountry suffers from what many countries in the region have suffered from or are currently battling with namely corruption, gangs,anddrugs. The likelihood of you getting caught up in all that relies very much on you being somehow related to one of the gangs. Most who can access the internet do so on their phones. Donate now to support the IRC's life-changing work in Honduras, across northern Central America, and worldwide. Womenand girls who terminate pregnancies face prison sentences of up to six years. 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. However, More than2 million touristsvisited in 2017. It is honestly NOT safe to drink the water in Honduras. The government has set up roadblocks, deployed security forces, and used violence to prevent people from leaving the country. 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 media and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) reported several cases of abusive police enforcement of the Covid-19 lockdown. We are on the frontlines providing critical aid to crisis-affected people in more than 40 countries, including places on the 2022 Emergency Watchlist. And what you had, you know, after the coup, while the U.S. did cut assistance, it was very. Some victims of extortion said that the only thing that has changed is how the money is collected. Abortionisillegalin Honduras in all circumstances. The men remained missing at time of writing. Shootings are very common in poorer areas too. This Central American country actually has one of the highest murder rates in the world. In the streets where insecurity lurks around each corner, many ordinary Hondurans want to see extreme measures human rights be damned and believe that anything short of that is not enough. Dont drink the water without treating, and steer clear of ice cubes,too. An audit of government purchases of medical supplies to fight Covid-19 revealed supplies worth tens of millions of dollars had gone missing. We are going to be covering a whole lot of topics in this epic Honduras safety guide. In 2014, the United Nations reported that 95 percent of cases of sexual violence and femicide in Honduras were never even investigated. There are some safety pointsthat travelers should know for anywhere they travel, but Honduras requires these special considerations. Roatan is the more developed, more expensive, and family friendly big brother of Utila. The groups most likely to be internally displaced or leave the country are children subjected to forced gang recruitment, professionals and business owners who face extortion, domestic violence survivors, and LGBT people and members of ethnic minorities who face violence and discrimination. Half of underage pregnancies result from rape. One good thing I can say about Roatan is that the dive sites are excellent around the island. I consent to my personal information being processed in accordance with The Broke Backpackers. The effort comes amid complaints by business owners, the transportation sector and ordinary Hondurans that extortion by criminals has risen in recent months. 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. Prosecutors and whistleblowers have received death threats. The US is losing allies in Latin America just as production of cocaine, fentanyl, and other synthetic drugs is going through the roof. So no. You basically pay for safety, but better safe than sorry wed say. A local TV correspondent needed to do a live shot for one of the countrys most-watched news programs. Members include officers from the police, the military, and the Attorneys General Office. There are alsopassenger ferriesif you want to go totheBay Islands. Extortion in Latin America continues to bring in fortunes for criminal gangs. 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. Theyre run by private companies, obviously, and aremore expensivethan public buses. Chances are, if you are arriving via a cruise ship, you will be safe. This includes 2,838,450 Pfizer doses and 3,250,140 Moderna doses. But like any war, it isnt just a battle against an enemy, but also for control of the popular narrative in this case, an attempt to counter allegations that the government has not done enough to combat rampant crime. We are all about smart travel and were here to help you travel smart too. if youre visiting Honduras, you will have to avoid this city completely. Seeing the world without anyone to answer to, getting to challenge yourself andgrow as a person. Two private security officers were charged. Utila is unlike the rest of mainland Honduras in just about every way. Lots of travelers stick to bottled water,but please dont. Im nervous, repeated a young police officer driving a pickup truck crowded with heavily armed special forces officers. Judges continue to face interference, including political pressure, threats, and harassment, from the executive branch, private actors with connections to government, and organized crime. Honduras deploys soldiers on anti-crime patrols - 1 hr 50 mins ago TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras - The Honduran government has deployed soldiers to perform anti-crime patrols in some of the Central American country's most violent cities, following the massacre of 18 people in a shoe factory this week. Whilst many people DO live here, it doesnt mean Honduras is safe to live. TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras -- Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency to fight gang crimes like extortion. If we didnt have Bukeles example, we could probably look for some control and security responses based on strengthening institutions.. An eSIM works just like an app: you buy it, you download it, and BOOM! (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, File), Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Schools were closed from March onward due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The new criminal code that came into effect in June 2020 includes new alternative sanctions to detention for some minor crimes that could help reduce the prison population. Dont hitchhike ortake lifts from strangers , Other ways to meet fellow travelers and. Traveling here is definitely adventurous, but that doesnt mean its off-limits for solo travelers. We then verify, write and edit, providing the tools to generate real impact. 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. 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. Lucky for you,youre not a Honduran citizen. Disclaimer: Safety conditions change all over the world on a daily basis. Thats mainly to visit islands like Roatan. Its just that easy. But nongovernmental organizations have tallied several thousand human rights violations and at least 80 in-custody deaths of people arrested during the state of exception. Until his life grew increasingly violent. Dont put yourself through that stress. Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency to fight gang crimes like extortion. There are definitely a fair few pros to solo travel. It provided a family, a sense of belonging. REUTERS/Fredy Rodriguez/File Photo. And this area is great for children. Investigating organized crime is an expensive and often risky enterprise. Poor health infrastructure and limited access to sanitation services has contributed to the spread of the virus. Youll get the, If youve got no locals to ask, just use your eyes. Xiomara Castros crackdown on gangs is also an attempt to counter allegations the government hasnt done enough to combat crime. Patrick said the inmates were captured about 7:45 AM in downtown Newton. Every year, more than 100,000 Hondurans are internally displaced, migrate, seek protection abroad, or are deported back to Honduras. In Honduras, one of the most violent countries in the world, 60 percent of deaths are attributed to organized crime. Honduras major drug trafficking groups like the Cachiros and the Valles have largely been dismantled with the arrest and extradition of top leaders, but vestiges of these clans continue to operate. FILE PHOTO: Police raid a house after Honduras' President Xiomara Castro (not pictured) mobilised . Instead, buy an eSIM! Keeping yourself away from any situation to do with them will be a good way to keep yourself pretty much safe. The government neither comprehensively protects the rights of children, including adolescents, nor ensures that they have access to basic services such as education and healthcare, the IACHR reported in 2019. Extortion in the Northern Triangle is predominantly done from prisons, yet prison populations have been on the rise. Individuals and state agents continute to threaten and attack journalists, press freedom groups report. Share this via Twitter A new country, a new contract, a new piece of plastic booooring. Violence in Honduras is usually attributed to gangs and organised crime, but US federal prosecutors have implicated high-level politicians, the military and police in cocaine trafficking to the US . Or gangs attacking Honduran citizens for not paying war tax. This helps keep everyone in poverty. But if youre thinking about it, here are some tips. Not only that, but thecorruptionin everything the low to the high levels of the politics here is standard. 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. But you wont be (in a Honduran gang, that is). For now, there are 15,000 taxis who want your attention. You should ask locals on the best routes to take to any given place. The streets of major cities like Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula are gripped by crime and conflict. Sign in How Gangs Control Honduras VICE News 8.42M subscribers. Honduras. Taxis areall over the placein Honduras. 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. They face violence from gangs, the national civil police and the military police, members of the public, and their own families, as well as extortion by gangs and discrimination in schools and in the workplace. The new code also includes alternatives to detention for low-level crimes, including partial prison sentences and penalties that allow for conditional release. Violent organized crime continues to disrupt Honduran society and push many people to leave the country. Drug trafficking gangs, corruption, and extreme poverty keep Honduras down. At nighttime, you should really get a taxi. The Newton Police Department has arrested three escaped inmates from Scott County, according to Newton police chief, Randy Patrick. 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. Read on for more detailed information on how to have a safe trip to Honduras. If you are a keen diver, Roatan is well worth a visit. While Honduras is not seeing the political armed conflict common in most Watchlist countries this year, criminal gang violence is widespread. 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. Theyre fairly easy to use, but be aware of the risks. In July, police arrested two men in connection to the 2020 killings of 45 TV reporter Germn Vallecillo Jr. and his cameraman, Jorge Posas, in La Ceiba. Seth Sidney Berry / SOPA Images/Sipa USA (Sipa via AP Images), Share this via Facebook There's no avoiding violence in Honduras, even at home.