The whereabouts of four Indigenous Garifuna members of the Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH) forcibly disappeared in July 2020 remained unknown. COFADEH reported an increase of complaints regarding the use of excessive and disproportionate force by security forces under the national curfew. For crimes with minimum sentences of six years imprisonment, the law authorizes pretrial detention of up to two years. TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK : HIGH Public transport is highly risky in Honduras. In 2021, almost 39 homicides were committed per 100,000 inhabitants in Honduras. During 2021, a total of 342 femicides were recorded in Honduras. The Autonomous University of Honduras Violence Observatory reported 13 arbitrary or unlawful killings by security forces during the year. Most women in the workforce engaged in lower-status and lower-paying informal occupations, such as domestic service, without the benefit of legal protections. Even so, many prisoners remained in custody after completing their full sentences, and sometimes even after an acquittal, because officials failed to process their releases expeditiously. That is 2,607 fewer homicides. Honduras 2020 Crime & Security Report this is an annual report produced in collaboration with the Regional Security Office at the U.S. Embassy. Honduras's peak of violent crime was in 2012, where the country experienced about 20 homicides per day, typically carried out by gun-toting gangs such as Barrio 18 or Mara Salvatrucha. There are 42 categories of monthly minimum wages, based on the industry and the size of a companys workforce; the minimum average was above the poverty line. The IACHR conducted its visit between July 30 and August 3, 2018. Statistics from the National Emergency Systems call center showed the country was on pace for more than 100,000 reports of domestic violence during the year. Subscribe to the Ojai Valley News. The law prohibits members of the armed forces and police, as well as certain other public employees, from forming labor unions. The STSS approved 43 such authorizations through September. Many prisons lacked sufficient security personnel. According to the Violence Observatory, of the 317 reported cases from 2009 through 2019 of hate crimes and violence against members of the LGBTI population, 92 percent had gone unpunished. Contraception supplies continued to be limited by shortages and insufficient funding. Respect for the Integrity of the Person, Including Freedom from: a. The rate of young people killing other young people is down to two main gangs : Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18. The Honduran National Police maintain internal security and report to the Secretariat of Security. Defendants may receive free assistance from an interpreter. The end of the civil war ushered in new and complex forms of violence: 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. The Violence Observatory reported 55 killings of women from March 15 to June 6, compared with 102 for the same period in 2019. Abuse of Migrants, Refugees, and Stateless Persons: Transiting migrants and asylum seekers with pending cases were vulnerable to abuse by criminal organizations. DOUGLAS COUNTY The Douglas County Sheriff's Office has released the results of the Click-It or Ticket Enforcement Campaign which took place between Jan. 30 and Feb. 12. 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 law states that a womans employment should be appropriate according to her physical state and capacity. The Association for a Better Life and the Cattrachas Lesbian Network both reported 16 violent deaths of LGBTI persons as of September. Some judges, however, ruled that such suspects may be released on the condition that they continue to report periodically to authorities. 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. The tribunal published its reports on its website and cited the names of public officials who did not comply with the disclosure law. Estimates of the number of children younger than 18 in the countrys workforce ranged from 370,000 to 510,000. Individuals and organizations may appeal adverse domestic decisions to the Inter-American Human Rights System. Civil society continued to raise problems with minimum wage violations, highlighting agricultural companies in the south as frequent violators. Journalists, environmental activists, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals, and people with disabilities are among the groups targeted for violence. Fines for child labor were not sufficient to deter violations and not commensurate with penalties for other analogous serious crimes, such as kidnapping. There is no statutory rape law, but the penalty for rape of a minor younger than 12 is 15 to 20 years in prison, or nine to 13 years in prison if the victim is 13 or older. 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. During April, the first full month of the curfew, COFADEH reported 11,471 complaints of arbitrary actions by security forces, mainly abusive detentions for curfew violators. The law also imposes prison sentences of three to five years for child labor violations that endanger the life or morality of a child. Because labor inspectors continued to be concentrated in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, full labor inspections and follow-up visits to confirm compliance were far less frequent in other parts of the country. The law permits defendants to confront witnesses against them and offer witnesses and evidence in their defense. 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Honduras, An official website of the United States Government, https://www.state.gov/religiousfreedomreport/, https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/International-Parental-Child-Abduction/for-providers/legal-reports-and-data/reported-cases.html, https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/, https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor/findings, https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/reports/child-labor/list-of-goods. This report provides a snapshot of events during 2021 relevant to countries designated as State Sponsors of Terrorism. Honduras recorded 3,496 murders in 2020. World Report 2021 - Honduras. There were several reports that the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings. The law mandates that authorities release detainees whose cases have not yet come to trial and whose time in pretrial detention already exceeds the maximum prison sentence for their alleged crime. The government did not effectively enforce these laws and regulations, although penalties were commensurate with laws related to civil rights, such as election interference. 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. The law prohibits all of the worst forms of child labor. Safety in El Salvador. Starting November 9, the government temporarily suspended the curfew to facilitate Tropical Depression Eta response efforts. The law prohibits night work and overtime for minors younger than 18, but the STSS may grant special permission for minors between the ages of 16 to 18 to work in the evening if such employment does not adversely affect their education. Penalties include prison sentences of up to five years and monetary fines. Peace Brigades International (PBI) reported more than 34,000 persons were detained for violating the curfew. 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. In 2020, 278 women were murdered in the country and, as of November 2021, more than. Honduras was the fourth source country in the world of new asylum applications from January to June 2021 with 33,900 applications (30,100 in the same period in 2020), according to UNHCR s Mid . As of November the STSS had an insufficient number of inspectors to enforce the law effectively. A: Fans well remember the 1965-69 adventure series starring Robert Conrad 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 Institutions such as the judiciary, Public Ministry, National Police, and Secretariat of Health attempted to enhance their responses to domestic violence, but obstacles included insufficient political will, inadequate budgets, limited or no services in rural areas, absence of or inadequate training and awareness of domestic violence among police and other authorities, and a pattern of male-dominant culture and norms. Libel/Slander Laws: Citizens, including public officials, may initiate criminal proceedings for libel and slander. Freedom of Association and the Right to Collective Bargaining, b. Indigenous communities continued to report threats and acts of violence against them and against community and environmental activists. . 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. As of September the Secretariat of Human Rights reported the countrys three pretrial detention centers held 79 individuals. U.S. citizens have been the victims of a wide range of crimes, including murder, kidnapping, rape, assault, and property crimes. It was unclear how many of these threats were related to the victims professions or activism. Overview: The IDF, under the Israeli Ministry of Defense, is responsible for the West Bank, but PA security forces were granted security control of 17.5 percent (called Area A) under the 1993 Oslo Accords. The Military Police of Public Order report to military authorities but conduct operations sanctioned by civilian security officials as well as by military leaders. That puts Roatan/Honduras a few points ahead of the U.S. Iceland holds the number one rated position and Afghanistan holds last place, ranked at 163. 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. Discrimination, Societal Abuses, and Trafficking in Persons, Acts of Violence, Criminalization, and Other Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, a. Litigants may sue a criminal defendant for damages if authorized by a criminal court. Violent gang activity, such as extortion, violent street crime, rape, and narcotics and human trafficking, is widespread. 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. 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. Corruption along with a lack of investigative resources and judicial delays led to widespread impunity, including in security forces. 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 National Migration Institute secretary general, responsible for final case determinations, had not resumed this function as of October. It prohibits employer retribution against employees for engaging in trade union activities. Many inspectors asked workers to provide them with transportation so that they could conduct inspections, since the STSS could not pay for travel to worksites. On February 4, media reported unknown assailants shot and killed three National Party local leaders in three separate incidents within five days in Tegucigalpa: Oscar Obdulio Licona Ruiz on January 31 and Dagoberto Villalta and Marcial Martinez on February 4. Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2017 was 40.98, a 26.23% decline from 2016. Every 18 hours, a woman is a victim of a violent death. 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. The legal framework for granting international protection fails to establish long-term safeguards for recognized refugees, since they are issued the same residence permit as other migration categories. The World Bank reported in 2018 that the adolescent birth rate was 72 births per 1,000 15-19-year-olds. The government tasks CONAPREV with visiting prisons and making recommendations for protecting the rights of prisoners. Bernardez was a leader in the Punta Piedra community. The number of inspections dropped severely from 2019 as a result of the national curfew imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public-sector unions expressed concern about some officials refusing to honor bargaining agreements and firing union leaders. A stronger outbreak is expected during the 2021 rainy season (May-November) due to . 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. Despite the emergency decree, CONAPREV reported that violence in the prison system continued unabated. 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. Children often worked on melon, coffee, okra, and sugarcane plantations as well as in other agricultural production; scavenged at garbage dumps; worked in the forestry, hunting, and fishing sectors; worked as domestic servants; peddled goods such as fruit; begged; washed cars; hauled goods; and labored in limestone quarrying and lime production. Several anonymous social media sites, possibly linked to political parties, criticized journalists (as well as activists and civil society organizations) who were critical of the government or opposition party policies. The law provides for freedom of expression, including for the press, with some restrictions, and the government generally respected this right. The STSS completed 13 inspections as of March and did not find any minors working without permission. Corruption and Lack of Transparency in Government, Section 5. Sample Page; ; 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. By comparison, the United States has a global safety ranking of 128. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. On July 1, unknown assailants on a motorcycle shot and killed television journalist German Vallecillo and cameraman Jorge Posas in La Ceiba. Poverty rates are higher among rural and indigenous people and in the south, west, and along the eastern border than in the north . Organized-crime organizations, such as drug traffickers and local and transnational gangs including MS-13 and the 18th Street gang, committed killings, extortion, kidnappings, human trafficking, and intimidation of police, prosecutors, journalists, women, and human rights defenders. Although it is outside the period of study for this report, it is worth noting that the reduction of penalties for violent crimes against women included in the new Criminal Code (adopted in 2018) sends a contradictory message from the government in its ight . The law provides for freedom of internal movement, foreign travel, emigration, and repatriation, and the government generally respected these rights. A Texas man is speaking out about his experience following an attempted carjacking where two suspects, one of them armed, followed him home into his garage and tried to steal his car at gunpoint but ended up "bamboozled" and empty-handed. The STSS is responsible for enforcing the national minimum wage, hours of work, and occupational health and safety law, but it did so inconsistently and ineffectively. The IACHR expressed concern in 2019 regarding the "critical levels of. Reproductive Rights: Generally, individuals have the right to decide freely the number, spacing, and timing of having children and to have access to the information and means to do so, free from discrimination, coercion, or violence. Authorities did not generally segregate those with tuberculosis or other infectious diseases from the general prison population; as of September the INP reported 153 prisoners were being treated for tuberculosis. Specialties: Executive management, negotiations, project approval and feasibility, business development, strategy, project management, quality, audit and risk management, business resilience, corporate governance. The EU mission agreed there were serious irregularities in the process but concluded that safeguards built into the system, including posting of voting results forms on a public website, helped promote transparency. Physical Conditions: Prisoners suffered from severe overcrowding, malnutrition, lack of adequate sanitation and medical care, and, in some prisons, lack of adequate ventilation and lighting. Deportation, Circular Migration and Organized Crime Honduras Case Study; Download the Publication; Honduras: Information Gathering Mission Report; Violence in Honduras: an Analysis of the Failure in Public Security and the State'S Response to Criminality; Opendocpdf.Pdf; Honduras Elites and Organized Crime; Honduras 2019 Crime & Safety Report On May 5, the DIDADPOL director noted his office had not received a formal complaint, and he asserted two official police reports from the incident did not corroborate the PBIs account. According to the arrest report, he "was threatening and abusive, challenging others to fight, and making loud, unusual noises." Additionally, he was charged with "impeding passengers' ability to safely board (an) American Airlines flight." He was taken to the county jail. Members of the security forces committed some abuses. Under the Regional Integral Framework for Protection and Solutions, with significant support from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the government continued to build capacity to provide services to key population groups, including IDPs, those at risk of forced displacement, refugees, and returned migrants, through 14 commitments and 28 specific actions between 2018 and 2020. Child Abuse: Child abuse remained a serious problem. Prior to the twin shocks of 2020, 25.2 percent of the Honduran population lived in extreme poverty and almost half (4.4 million people) lived in poverty, based on the official poverty lines. See the Department of States Trafficking in Persons Report at https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/. The appeals court ruled the cases of former agriculture minister Jacobo Regalado and three members of his staff should proceed to trial. If the STSS grants permission, children between 14 and 16 may work a maximum of four hours a day, and those between 16 and 18 may work up to six hours a day. The law requires an employer to begin collective bargaining once workers establish a union, and it specifies that if more than one union exists at a company, the employer must negotiate with the largest. Campbell was an LGBTI activist and member of the Rainbow Dolls, an organization that fought violence and discrimination against members of the LGBTI community. 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. Media reported prison riots and violent confrontations between gang members in prisons throughout the year. Introductory offer for new subscribers only. In many industries, including agriculture, cleaning, and security, employers did not respect maternity rights or pay minimum wage, overtime, or vacation. The National Human Rights Commission of Honduras received complaints about human rights abuses and referred them to the Public Ministry for investigation. You can add more than one country or area. DIDADPOL investigated abuses by police forces. Transgender individuals noted their inability to update identity documents to reflect their gender identity. 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. The law does not cover domestic workers. Penalties for violations of OSH law were commensurate with penalties for similar crimes. The IACHR reported the government at times used a policy of arbitrary detentions or arrests to inhibit protest. Some larger cities have police forces that operate independently of the national police and report to municipal authorities. Inspectors suspended inspections in March under the national curfew in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019 the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center NGO estimated there were approximately 247,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country due to violence. Civil society organizations criticized the governments failure to investigate threats adequately. Of course, while it's not ever good to generalize an. Birth Registration: Children derive citizenship by birth in the country, from the citizenship of their parents, or by naturalization. The director of the national disaster management agency, Gabriel Rubi, was removed from his position in April. 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 Supreme Court of Justice cited the presence of MACCIH personnel during Public Ministry investigations, including in the execution of search warrants in violation of the law. Women held 21 percent of seats in the National Congress, down from 26 percent prior to the 2017 elections. The government continued to prosecute some officials who committed abuses, but a weak judicial system and corruption were major obstacles to gaining convictions. The law requires individuals and companies that employ more than 20 school-age children at their facilities to provide a location for a school. The appeals court would have to rule on the motion before the trial could move forward. Freedom of Press and Media, Including Online Media: Independent media were active and expressed a wide variety of views without restriction. In terms of murder rate, it's the second most violent country in Central or South America, trailing only Venezuela. Home. 03 / Select Countries You can add more than one country or area. In response to the pervasive violence in the prison system, the government declared an emergency in the National Penitentiary System in December 2019. Section 1. The HNPs Violent Crimes Task Force investigated crimes against high-profile and particularly vulnerable victims, including journalists as well as judges, human rights activists, and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) community. The law does not authorize pretrial detention for crimes with a maximum sentence of five years or less. The government continued to prosecute individuals allegedly involved in the 2016 killing of environmental and indigenous activist Berta Caceres. 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. The constitution prohibits practicing clergy from running for office or participating in political campaigns. Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2020 was 36.33, a 13.52% decline from 2019. . More than half of the population lives in poverty and per capita income is one of the lowest in the region. 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. The legal age of consent is 18. 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. During the year the National Anticorruption Council reported numerous irregularities in the purchase of emergency medical supplies during the pandemic. The Federation of Agroindustry Workers Unions reported massive layoffs and cancelation of contracts in the maquila sector during the pandemic without providing welfare benefits. In the 2013 census, approximately 8.5 percent of the population identified themselves as members of indigenous communities, but other estimates were higher. The Public Ministrys Office of the Special Prosecutor for Human Rights handled cases involving charges of human rights abuses by government officials. On July 10, unidentified assailants shot and killed transgender activist Scarleth Campbell in Tegucigalpa. 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. TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras -- Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency to fight gang crimes like extortion. The OAS mission found that the 1.5 percent margin of victory, combined with numerous irregularities in vote processing, left it unable to state with certainty who won the presidential election. Authorities launched an investigation and made one arrest in connection with the kidnappings in July and five more arrests in September. NGOs continued to criticize the government prohibition on emergency contraception, including for survivors of sexual violence, although the government did provide victims of sexual violence access to other health care services. Lori Lightfoot rode into the Chicago mayor's office in 2019 as a reform candidate, offering a break from the city's clubby political scene while making history as the first Black Number of. The combined homicide rate per 100 thousand population remains low, with steep declines in some countries and remaining stable in others. 10. Persons with HIV and AIDS continued to be targets of discrimination, and they suffered disproportionately from gender-based violence. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor, c. Prohibition of Child Labor and Minimum Age for Employment, d. Discrimination with Respect to Employment and Occupation. It also provides for paid national holidays and annual leave. The law prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention and provides for the right of any person to challenge the lawfulness of his or her arrest or detention in court. Although the law generally prohibits such actions, a legal exception allows government authorities to enter a private residence to prevent a crime or in case of another emergency. The law presumes an accused person is innocent. On January 10, unknown assailants shot and killed Tolupan indigenous leader Vicente Saavedra in Morazan, Yoro Department.
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