Chatting to them means getting first-hand knowledge, and means your experience is going to be a lot richer. Then there are quite a lot of gang wars as well. However, More than2 million touristsvisited in 2017. San Pedro Sula is the most dangerous city, not just in Honduras, but in the whole world. So backpacking Honduras isnt always just a breeze. Your little ones get to see the Mesoamerican Reef,thesecond largest barrier reef in the world. Theyre old U.S. school buses that are poorly maintained,andovercrowded. To make sure youre having a successful trip, weve listed the safest, and the no-go areas below. Every dollar supports our mission. It wont be down to the wire cutting edge info on the most current events, but it is layered in the expertise of veteran travellers. Wed,03/01/23-8:26AM, 3 Reads. We are on the frontlines providing critical aid to crisis-affected people in more than 40 countries, including places on the 2022 Emergency Watchlist. ; Children and Adolescents - Honduras has the highest youth homicide rate in the world. So youll likely escape having to pay war tax (or facing the consequences). Human rights defenders have said they will monitor the measures. Dont put yourself through that stress. The streets of major cities like Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula are gripped by crime and conflict. The Honduran government on Saturday extended a state of emergency declaration for 45 days, expanding it to additional areas of the country in an effort to fight criminal gangs amid high levels of violence. 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 . Seeing the world without anyone to answer to, getting to challenge yourself andgrow as a person. InSight Crime's 2022 Homicide Round-Up covers more countries than ever before, with a major expansion into nations of the Caribbean. San Pedro Sula, Honduras, has been given the unfortunate title of the most dangerous city in the world. Here are three reasons the International Rescue Committees Emergency Watchlist ranks Honduras among 20 countries most at risk of worsening humanitarian crisis in 2022. As of August, prisons had reported 1,700 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 38 deaths. Reaching primary sources and getting the real story involve extensive fieldwork. Many women are choosing to flee the violence in their communities. Honduras is one of the most important drug trafficking operation centers between South America and Mexico. The rate of young people killing other young people is down to two main gangs : Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18. Access to health care services was a concern in Honduras prior to the pandemic, particularly for rural and economically marginalized communities. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Whether thats with friends and family back home, or with accommodation staff, or both. Extortion in Latin America continues to bring in fortunes for criminal gangs. This is apretty safe area to visit. Officials flew Garza, a 48-year-old . TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras -- Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency to fight gang crimes like extortion. This social democratic government is declaring war on extorsion, just as it has, since the first day, declared wars on corruption, impunity and drug trafficking," Castro said. Thats why weve listed and answered the most frequently asked questions on safety in Honduras. While there were a few violent crime incidents, most travelers have a safe and pleasant stay. 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. Women in Honduras face high levels of gender-based violence. Especiallythrough a tour company. It can be a super enriching experience. The IACHR expressed concern in 2019 regarding the critical levels of impunity and inadequate and insufficient attention to victims of human rights violations. In February 2020, it called on El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico to protect the rights of migrants and refugees to leave their country of origin, noting that asylum applications from Central America and Mexico grew 50-fold from 2012 to 2018. They practice "war taxing", which is essentially just demanding money from people. There is no such thing as a perfect safety guide, and this article is no different. You can also visit the island through a guided tour, which will add another layer of safety to your trip. Gangs exercise territorial control over neighborhoods and extort residents throughout the country. Women, children and the LGBTQ+ community are the ones most affected and we have seen the demand for services skyrocket, while the organizations delivering aid need increased resources to be able to staff up to meet the urgent needs, says Meg Galas, director for northern Central America at the IRC. Honduras isnt perfectly safe for tourists, but that doesnt mean that you can travel there or have a good time. Of 25,000 gang members in 2012, nearly a fifth were children, UNICEF estimated. By clicking submit, you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions & Privacy Policy. Weve made it pretty clear that Honduras isnt the safest country. Pastor Daniel Pacheco told Los Angeles Times reporter Kate Linthicum, "I can ask them to leave the gang, but I don't have anything else to offer them. In these demonstrations, more than 1,500 were arrested and30 people were killed. City busestravel around the cities and towns themselves. For years, street gangs have charged protection money from bus and taxi drivers and store owners in Honduras, as in neighboring El Salvador. Dont expect to discover an undeveloped private island. A local TV correspondent needed to do a live shot for one of the countrys most-watched news programs. Sat Navs might not always tell you the best route. The government bans emergency contraception, known as the morningafter pill, which can prevent pregnancy after rape, unprotected sex, or contraceptive failure. Security experts are divided on how much the perception is the result of sensationalist media coverage, a real rise, a little of both or simply the continued expansion of a problem that has metastasized for two decades. The Bay Islands are the only palace in Honduras that can (kind of) be considered somewhat safe. Share this via Email Trump, who is running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, announced a slate of futuristic new policies in a campaign video Friday. A new country, a new contract, a new piece of plastic booooring. 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. This includes 2,838,450 Pfizer doses and 3,250,140 Moderna doses. At nighttime, you should really get a taxi. Were not going to say its thesafest place to travel,nor is it going to be the easiestplace to travel as a solo female. Otherwise, thanks for your ear and stay safe! This year a crew member of a cruise ship was murdered on Roatan and that combined with the mainland of the country being used by cartels as part of the drug pipeline to the U.S., plus the current immigration crisis on the U.S. border all together add up to bad press for the country of Honduras. People here live in pretty supreme poverty 60%of the population living in poverty really isa lot of people. In June, the OHCHR and IACHR jointly expressed concern that the new penal code disproportionately restricts freedoms of speech, press, and association and fails to criminalize torture committed by third parties acting on behalf of state agents. But its pretty damn special too. Look and see where locals are eating. The coastline of Cedeno, a fishing village in southern Honduras, looks like it was hit by an earthquake - houses, businesses and clubs stand in ruins. Honduras isnt a gay-friendly country, however, there are some movements that are going in the right direction. Gracias a Dios Department due to crime. Theres alsoLa Ceiba. Honduras newspaper, TV channel news, online portal news, and magazine sites are getting popularity day by day around the world. That said, the governmentclaimsthere has been a 52%decreasein violent crime over the past five years. Activist groups, like the Grupo Prisma, have formed that educate and inform the general public as well as fight the current rules against homosexual relationships. The poverty resulting from all this is what youll have to watch out for. In addition, gang recruitment of minors has contributed to the increasing numbers of families and unaccompanied children leaving Honduras for Mexico, some planning to travel onward to the U.S.. With all of its branches of government and its armed forces plagued by corruption, Honduras has evolved into a transit nation in which criminal groups, protected by the political system, have developed the capacity to produce cocaine hydrochloride in local laboratories. 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. Women - Honduras has the fifth-highest rate of violence against women in the world. The country has the second-highest rate of femicidedefined as the killing of a woman by a man because of her genderin Latin America, the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean reports. But Honduras is far from Eden. But traveling there is possible, of course. All of these are in Santa Barbara Department, which also sees hijackings aroundTela, La Ceiba, andEl Progresoas well asTrujillo. It submitted the case to the court in April 2019 due to Honduras lack of compliance with its recommendations, such as introducing comprehensive policies to map and prevent anti-LGBT violence and designing training programs on anti-LGBT violence for state security bodies. By BRENT MAZE. Her words echo those of Bukele, who has railed against human rights groups, government watchdogs and journalists who have questioned his tactics, saying that they are on the side of the gangs. 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. Other ways to share Visiting Honduras right now is as safe as it ever was:not very. Home to the second biggest barrier reef in the world, beaches, and sparkling turquoise sea, as well as a whole host of Mayan ruins, amazing coffee, and the second largest rainforest in the Americas, Honduras is extremely biodiverse: there are 770 bird species alone. The Supreme Court, particularly its president, exerts excessive control over the appointment and removal of judges, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights reported in 2019, and career instability limits judges independence. 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. 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. TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - The Honduran government on Saturday extended a state of emergency declaration for 45 days, expanding it to additional areas of the country in an effort to fight criminal. Gender-based violence in Honduras is also among the highest in the region and has increased during the pandemic. That said, the development that has taken place has not totally sucked the island dry of its charm. To Desafio, the Barrio 18 gang in Honduras was everything. Dont drink the water without treating, and steer clear of ice cubes,too. The vaccine doses arrived in the Honduran capital on October 4 2021. Prolonged droughts have undermined food production, while in October 2021 a wildfire in the Guanaja region affected thousands. Nevertheless, the political gains to be had from emulating Bukeles hardline policies may be too enticing to pass up. It may have improved it actually. 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. You should ask locals on the best routes to take to any given place. But you wont be (in a Honduran gang, that is). You will have to agree on a pricebefore you get in. Whilst many people DO live here, it doesnt mean Honduras is safe to live. And people do go. Until his life grew increasingly violent. Shootings are very common in poorer areas too. Planning a safe trip to Honduras can get quite overwhelming. These are the safest islands: Once you get off the ferry in Utila you have officially entered an alternate reality. The most extensive database on organized crime in the Americas. Between December 2019, when prisons were placed under military control, and September 2020, 54 people died in eight prison incidents, the IACHR and OHCHR report. Well Public transportation can be alittle trickyin Honduras, and its not always safe. Historically, governments have responded with iron-fist security strategies to combat organized crime, enacting tougher legislation and increasing police presence and mass detentions. Gang wars and fights with the police are common in this city. Violent organized crime continues to disrupt Honduran society and push many people to leave the country. Members of the military police of public order patrol a street during a special operation against criminal gangs in Tegucigalpa on 6 December. Some areas are also safer than others. Hondurass prison population has doubled over the past decade, partly due to a 2013 reform that greatly expanded the use of mandatory pre-trial detention. Since 2017, the government has operated centers to support returned migrants. Share this via Printer, As More Climate Chaos Looms, Slashing Fossil Fuels Is Key. More than half of detained men and two-thirds of detained women were in pretrial detention. It pays totravel smartin Honduras like ANYWHERE 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. We can't put up any longer with workers being killed and paying extortion, Lanza said. And this area is great for children. Police chief Gustavo Sanchez said the decision, based on what he told journalists were good results during December, will allow continued reductions in crime and violence. Women, children and the LGBTQ+ community are the ones most affected and we have seen the demand for services skyrocket It is essential to address the root causes of forced migration, a strategy that the current U.S. administration is adopting. If you see any outdated information in this guide, we would really appreciate it if you could reach out in the comments below. Share this via LinkedIn How to tackle it is another issue. For your trip to Honduras, our handy guide has you covered. It included provisions that appeared aimed at reducing penalties for politicians linked to organized crime, by lowering sentences for corruption and related offenses. But if the peace in the condemning nations were to rupture the way it has in El Salvador and Honduras, we can bet they . There are 37 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, and all 18 provinces are. There have been protests due tocontested election results in late 2017. Honduras Private Sector and Anti-Extortion Police: An Unholy Alliance? So keep that in mind and have a read of our safety tips for solo female travelers thinking of taking a trip to Honduras. Honduras Honduras declares war against gangs - and for control of popular narrative Xiomara Castro's crackdown on gangs is also an attempt to counter allegations the government hasn't done. There are definitely a fair few pros to solo travel. 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. You can catch a ferry from the mainland atLa Ceibato eitherUtilaorRoatan. 2023, The Broke Backpacker. For years, street gangs have charged protection money from bus and taxi drivers and store owners in Honduras, as in neighboring El Salvador. Share this via Telegram Police presented a comprehensive plan to reform laws and ramp up institutional capacity measures that experts believe could have a positive effect long-term but which were pushed aside by the short-term political decision to declare a state of exception. These drug trafficking gangs rule peoples lives. In July 2020, gunmen in police uniforms abducted five indigenous Garifuna men in Triunfo de la Cruz, where communities are claiming ancestral land from drug traffickers and developers. It also documented widespread mistreatment of people detained and arrested during the protests. We get it. Gang violence and organized crime are leading causes of displacement from Honduras. Despite some similarities, the security situation in El Salvador is different from Honduras, which has a much larger territory, higher population, greater poverty and a more diverse set of criminal groups. An eSIM works just like an app: you buy it, you download it, and BOOM! Security Minister Oscar Alvarez says police have identified two suspects among the five attackers . The government has set up roadblocks, deployed security forces, and used violence to prevent people from leaving the country. All that in mind, there are places that expats dolive in Honduras. Indeed, Honduras is seeing a plague of femicidesa woman is murdered every 36 hours, mostly by an intimate partner. The measure must still be approved by Congress. There are many daily newspapers in Honduras where that constantly provide the latest updated news and information. The storms, among other shocks, led to higher levels of food scarcity while weakening the states capacity to cope with displacement. February 18 2022 Receive free Honduras updates We'll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest Honduras news every morning. The new code also includes alternatives to detention for low-level crimes, including partial prison sentences and penalties that allow for conditional release. Every 18 hours, a woman is a victim of a violent death. And taxi driversprobably wont have enough change to cover a big bill, socarry small denominations. Womenand girls who terminate pregnancies face prison sentences of up to six years. 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. 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. Inside Honduras' most dangerous gangs 127,396 views Mar 8, 2020 1.2K Dislike Share Save Sky News 5.19M subscribers Warning: this report contains blurred images of dead bodies which some viewers. Late Thursday, Honduran President Xiomara Castro proposed a measure to limit constitutional Theres a lot of fresh fish in places like, Steer clear of anything that you cant peel yourself. Honduras, long one of the poorest countries in Latin America, is now also among the most violent and crime-ridden. Officials were called out to the main Wood Duck Recreation Area at around 4 p.m. on Tuesday to investigate a suspicious vehicle, a ccording to a release from the Sheriff's Office. Lanza said that 50 drivers have been killed so far in 2022, and a total of 2,500 have been killed over the last 15 years. It might sound like paradiseBut it isnt. Marvin Damin Castro Molina, who, as part of the Coordination of the Southern Social Environmental Movement for Life, fought mining, agro-industry, and hydroelectric projects, was abducted and found dead in Choluteca in July 2020. Alongside her husband, Sasha, she co-founded the. So whilst its gettingsafer, its a slow process. Excessive use of force by police and deployment of the military in public security operations continued in 2020. Yery Noel Medina Ulloa of Honduras pleaded guilty . CNN Juan Orlando Hernndez, the former president of Honduras, appeared virtually for his initial US court appearance Friday on federal drug trafficking and firearms possession charges.. "Today at dawn, in a single operation, we transferred the first 2,000 gang . Some are deprived of full legal capacity and are institutionalized in different settings, including psychiatric hospitals. In 2014, the United Nations reported that 95 percent of cases of sexual violence and femicide in Honduras were never even investigated. Support focuses primarily on reintegration into the labor market, rather than assistance for people who fled seeking international protection. Its not a good idea to go out to bars and clubs by yourself. Honduras hasn't specified exactly what the state of emergency would entail, but normally such measures temporarily suspend normal rules regulating arrests and searches; sometime limits on freedom of speech and assembly are implemented as well. Certain routes that these take have been the target ofarmed attacks. Domestic and sexual violence are also widespread, with women and children bearing the brunt. Roatan is the largest of the Honduras Bay Islands. Honduras declared the state of exception for 30 days in 162 neighborhoods, some politicians have already called for it to be extended in duration and territory. The new criminal code decriminalized defamation, but retains other crimes of honorincluding insult and slanderwhich have been used to prosecute journalists in the past. With all the threats of violence, theres alow number of tourists, so oddly you can really have anauthentic experiencehere while getting to know Honduran women, too. As of September 2020, the US had yet to begin deporting any third country nationals to Honduras under the agreement. ThisCentral Americancountry suffers from what many countries in the region have suffered from or are currently battling with namely corruption, gangs,anddrugs. Honduras recorded 3,496 murders in 2020. Im nervous, repeated a young police officer driving a pickup truck crowded with heavily armed special forces officers. There is only anecdotal evidence of the scale of the problem because so few extortion victims report the crime, making a statistical analysis impossible. Two private security officers were charged. Marred by corruption and abuse, the judiciary and police remain largely ineffective. Keeping yourself away from any situation to do with them will be a good way to keep yourself pretty much safe. Journalists, environmental activists, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT). Since the end of the last decade, political protection has allowed the traditional drug trafficking groups to flourish. The government relies heavily on the military for public security. Violent crime is at its peak in Honduras. Thats mainly to visit islands like Roatan. For years, street gangs have charged protection money from bus and taxi drivers and store owners in Honduras, as in neighboring El Salvador. In certain areas, yes Honduras is safe to travel for families. Chances are it wasnt cooked with too much care. With just 39% of the population fully vaccinated as of December 2021, the health risks associated with the pandemic will remain a concern long into 2022. The effort comes amid complaints by business owners, the transportation sector and ordinary Hondurans that extortion by criminals has risen in recent months. - The New York Times Inside Gang Territory In Honduras 'Either They Kill Us or We Kill Them' In one of the deadliest cities in the world, an embattled group of young men had little but their tiny. As VP Kamala Harris prepares to visit #Honduras for the presidential inauguration, we call for international cooperation and funding to respond to the humanitarian crisis displacing thousands in the country. The inmates, all from Honduras, had reportedly escaped custody yesterday in Scott County. Sexual violence and oppression are frequent tragedies here. A woman is killed every 23 hours on average, the National Autonomous University of Honduras Violence Observatory reports. I agree with Bukele and I want the same here. Wed classify it as generally hazardous. A . In fact, according toInSight Crime there has definitely been around a 26% drop in crime since 2016. Nearly 3.3 million people, or one in three Hondurans, were experiencing crisis or worse levels of food insecurity by late 2021. Investigations were underway at time of writing.