According to witnesses, the kidnappers wore police investigative branch uniforms. Sexual Harassment: The law criminalizes various forms of sexual harassment. Many prisons lacked sufficient security personnel. On July 18, heavily armed men kidnapped five men from their homes in the town of Triunfo de la Cruz. On June 11, alleged members of the 18th Street gang in the National Womens Penitentiary in Tegucigalpa killed six alleged members of the MS-13 gang. See the Department of States Trafficking in Persons Report at https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/. 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. Civil society continued to raise problems with minimum wage violations, highlighting agricultural companies in the south as frequent violators. World Bank statistics put net enrollment for primary school above 90 percent, but the National Center for Social Sector Information stated that 43 percent of persons with disabilities received no formal education. Despite the emergency decree, CONAPREV reported that violence in the prison system continued unabated. The law prohibits all forms of forced labor, but the government did not effectively implement or enforce the law. There were allegations that companies used collective pacts, which are collective contracts with nonunionized workers, to prevent unionization and collective bargaining because only one collective contract may exist in each workplace. Due to pandemic restrictions imposed in March, the STSS was very limited in its ability to conduct inspections. 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 World Report 2021 - Honduras. The lack of space for social distancing combined with the lack of adequate sanitation made prison conditions even more life threatening during the COVID-19 pandemic. The appeals court ruled the cases of former agriculture minister Jacobo Regalado and three members of his staff should proceed to trial. Honduras is a constitutional, multiparty republic. The law requires that persons with disabilities have access to buildings, but few buildings were accessible, and the national government did not effectively implement laws or programs to provide such access. In January 2020, the president announced the dismantling of the Mission to Support the Fight against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (Misin de Apoyo Contra la Corrupcin y la Impunidad en Honduras, MACCIH), which was backed by the Organization of American States (OAS). There were no credible reports of political prisoners or detainees. 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. 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. Penalties for violations of OSH law were commensurate with penalties for similar crimes. 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. International Child Abductions: The country is a party to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. For years, street gangs have charged protection . In all of 2019, the STSS levied fines of more than 38.1 million lempiras ($1.58 million) but collected only 755,000 lempiras ($31,300). The law prohibits the use of children younger than 18 for exhibitions or performances of a sexual nature or in the production of pornography. For crimes with minimum sentences of six years imprisonment, the law authorizes pretrial detention of up to two years. Arbitrary Deprivation of Life and Other Unlawful or Politically Motivated Killings, c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Arrest Procedures and Treatment of Detainees, f. Arbitrary or Unlawful Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or Correspondence. Members of the security forces committed some abuses. 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. The national curfew and shutdown of government offices in response to COVID-19 severely hampered government efforts to address abuses during most of the year. In security and domestic service sectors, workers were frequently forced to work more than 60 hours per week but paid only for 44 hours. Respect for the Integrity of the Person, Including Freedom from: a. The law mandates that the Supreme Auditing Tribunal monitor and verify disclosures. Five other cases were under investigation. Reports of violence related to land conflicts and criminal activity continued. 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. About Us; Staff; Camps; Scuba. It stipulates that a prosecutor has 24 additional hours to decide if there is probable cause for indictment, whereupon a judge has 24 more hours to decide whether to issue a temporary detention order. Child Abuse: Child abuse remained a serious problem. Ensuring that critical security information is shared with those who need it, when they need it, OSAC is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to answer constituents' questions with expert analysis of rapidly evolving security challenges overseas. In 2019 the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center NGO estimated there were approximately 247,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country due to violence. The government had a nascent system to provide protection to refugees. Health-care workers protested the lack of adequate protective equipment and delayed salary payments during the COVID-19 pandemic. El Salvador is not dangerous for travelers as violence has declined to its lowest level in over 30 years. 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. The Secretariat of Human Rights served as an effective advocate for human rights within the government. In response to the pervasive violence in the prison system, the government declared an emergency in the National Penitentiary System in December 2019. Now that we've established a frame of reference, here's the scoop on Roatan. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam . Some of the worst forms of child labor occurred, including commercial sexual exploitation of children, and NGOs reported that gangs often forced children to commit crimes, including homicide (see section 6, Children). 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. See the Department of States Annual Report on International Parental Child Abduction at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/International-Parental-Child-Abduction/for-providers/legal-reports-and-data/reported-cases.html. The law provides that police may make arrests only with a warrant unless: they make the arrest during the commission of a crime, there is strong suspicion that a person has committed a crime and might otherwise evade criminal prosecution, they catch a person in possession of evidence related to a crime, or a prosecutor has ordered the arrest after obtaining a warrant. CRIME AND INSECURITY IN GUATEMALA JULY 2020 | 8 CRIME AND INSECURITY IN GUATEMALA Evaluating State Capacity to Reduce Violence and Combat Organized Crime THE PROBLEM OF VIOLENCE AND ORGANIZED CRIME IN GUATEMALA In Guatemala, organized crime has been a problem for decades. The . Honduras has the highest femicide rate in the Latin American region, with 6.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Latin America and has one of the world's highest murder rates. Some employers either refused to engage in collective bargaining or made it very difficult to do so. On June 19, Garifuna leader Antonio Bernardez was found dead from bullet wounds six days after his disappearance. Through September the secretariat trained 2,764 law enforcement officials in human rights and international humanitarian law. As of September the Secretariat of Human Rights reported the countrys three pretrial detention centers held 79 individuals. honduras crime and safety report 2021mary calderon quintanilla 27 februari, 2023 / i list of funerals at luton crematorium / av / i list of funerals at luton crematorium / av Victims were primarily impoverished individuals in both rural and urban areas (see section 7.c.). The end of the civil war ushered in new and complex forms of violence: Honduras With a crime index of 74.54, Honduras ranks fifth in the world in terms of crime rate. There is also a Human Rights Committee in the National Congress. In terms of murder rate, it's the second most violent country in Central or South America, trailing only Venezuela. The Organization of American States (OAS) and EU observer teams agreed the margin of victory separating incumbent president Hernandez from challenger Salvador Nasralla was extremely narrow. The country last held national and local elections in November 2017. Honduras' highest judicial body is the Supreme Court of Justice, which includes chambers for constitutional, criminal and civil cases. The Guttmacher Institute reported 78 percent of women of reproductive age had their need for family planning satisfied with modern methods in 2019. Recent Elections: In December 2017 Juan Orlando Hernandez of the National Party was declared the winner in the November elections. DIDADPOL investigated abuses by police forces. 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 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. Corruption and Lack of Transparency in Government, Section 5. The law allows only local unions to call strikes, prohibits labor federations and confederations from calling strikes, and requires that a two-thirds majority of both union and nonunion employees at an enterprise approve a strike. 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. As of September inspectors conducted 4,102 total inspections, including 268 unannounced inspections, compared with 14,039 total inspections for the same time period in 2019. A stronger outbreak is expected during the 2021 rainy season (May-November) due to . I have some answers. The law provides for freedom of peaceful assembly, and the government generally respected this right. Police arrested Ramon David Zelaya Hernandez on July 4 and Edward David Zalavarria Galeas on July 6 as the two main suspects in the killings. Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: unlawful or arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings; torture and cases of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by government agents ; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest or detention; serious restrictions on free expression and The law establishes an independent and impartial judiciary in civil matters, including access to a court to seek damages for human rights violations. CONAPREV conducted more than 84 visits to adult prisons as of the end of August. Official data on forced internal displacement was limited in part because gangs controlled many of the neighborhoods that were sources of internal displacement (see section 6, Displaced Children). The law permits fines, and while the monetary penalty is sufficient to deter violations and commensurate with the penalties for similar crimes, such as fraud, the failure of the government to collect those fines facilitated continued labor code violations. Some judges, however, ruled that such suspects may be released on the condition that they continue to report periodically to authorities. 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. On July 10, unidentified assailants shot and killed transgender activist Scarleth Campbell in Tegucigalpa. The law requires individuals and companies that employ more than 20 school-age children at their facilities to provide a location for a school. Powerful special interests, including organized-crime groups, exercised influence on the outcomes of some court proceedings. Iota weather conditions favored a 15-25% incidence of leaf rust in five departments of Honduras by the end of 2020. The collapse of this empire left the territories of what we now understand to be Central America, to split off into separate regions. The law provides for freedom of association, and the government generally respected this right. There were no government restrictions on academic freedom or cultural events. Preliminary data published by the countries in the region comprising Central America and the Dominican Republic shows that there were fewer homicides in 2020 than in 2019. Most women in the workforce engaged in lower-status and lower-paying informal occupations, such as domestic service, without the benefit of legal protections. Unions also raised concerns about the use of temporary contracts and part-time employment, suggesting that employers used these mechanisms to prevent unionization and avoid providing full benefits. 10. Specialties: Executive management, negotiations, project approval and feasibility, business development, strategy, project management, quality, audit and risk management, business resilience, corporate governance. The law provides for the right to a fair and public trial; however, the judiciary did not always enforce this right. TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras -- Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency to fight gang crimes like extortion. Campbell was an LGBTI activist and member of the Rainbow Dolls, an organization that fought violence and discrimination against members of the LGBTI community. As of November the STSS had an insufficient number of inspectors to enforce the law effectively. Children, including from indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, particularly Miskito boys, were at risk for forced labor in the fishing, mining, construction, and hospitality industries. The government did not effectively enforce occupational safety and health (OSH) standards, particularly in the construction, garment assembly, and agricultural sectors, as well as in the informal economy. The COVID-19 lockdown and curfew affected sex workers income and further exacerbated existing vulnerabilities. On November 23, the court halted the presentation of evidence hearing after the defense filed an appeal. By law the STSS may fine companies that violate the right to freedom of association. The reported killings took place during law enforcement operations or were linked to other criminal activity by government agents. The government investigated and prosecuted many of these crimes, particularly through the national polices Violent Crimes Task Force. Penalties for forced labor under antitrafficking law range from 10 to 15 years imprisonment, commensurate with penalties for other analogous serious crimes, such as kidnapping, but authorities often did not enforce them. On January 9, 2018, the Honduran State confirmed the on-site visit to Honduras on the dates proposed by the IACHR. Both the STSS and the courts may order a company to reinstate workers, but the STSS lacked the means to verify compliance. Occupational safety and health standards were current but not effectively enforced. The government cooperated with UNHCR and other humanitarian organizations that provide protection and assistance to refugees and other persons of concern. A wide variety of domestic and international human rights groups generally operated without government restriction, investigating and publishing their findings on human rights cases. NGOs reported irregularities, including problems with voter rolls, buying and selling of electoral workers credentials, and lack of transparency in campaign financing. Section 1. The law permits workers in public health care, social security, staple food production, and public utilities (municipal sanitation, water, electricity, and telecommunications) to strike as long as they continue to provide basic services. The tribunal published its reports on its website and cited the names of public officials who did not comply with the disclosure law. The shutdown of government offices in response to the COVID-19 pandemic caused a substantial delay in the processing of asylum cases, with no cases fully adjudicated of 53 new applications received through August. The law prohibits discrimination against persons with physical, sensory, intellectual, and mental disabilities. The Secretariat of Human Rights provided training to security forces to increase respect for human rights. Many employers discriminated against women. The Office of the Inspector General of the Armed Forces and the Humanitarian Law Directorate investigated abuses by the military. ; Children and Adolescents - Honduras has the highest youth homicide rate in the world. The law prohibits police from unionizing (see section 7.a.). . DIDADPOL conducted internal investigations of HNP members in a continuation of the police purge begun in 2016. As of December 2020, internally displaced people in Honduras represented almost 80 percent of the internally displaced population in Central America and Mexico. No cases were reported during the year. Source: MY 2020: IHCAFE's Annual Report 2019/2020, MY 2021: IHCAFE Statistical Bulletin 05/04/2021 As of May 4th, 2021 about 4.13 million . The grand jury subpoena that has been issued to Pence seeks documents and testimony related to the events of January 6, 2021, when the US Capitol was attacked by pro-Trump rioters as Congress . 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. Bernardez was a leader in the Punta Piedra community. Organized-crime groups, including local and transnational gangs and narcotics traffickers, were significant perpetrators of violent crimes and committed acts of homicide, torture, kidnapping, extortion, human trafficking, intimidation, and other threats and violence directed against human rights defenders, judicial authorities, lawyers, business community members, journalists, bloggers, women, and other vulnerable populations. Public-sector unions expressed concern about some officials refusing to honor bargaining agreements and firing union leaders. Discrimination: Although the law accords women and men the same legal rights and status, including property rights in divorce cases, many women did not fully enjoy such rights. 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. Home. 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. A federal grand jury on Friday indicted the man accused of shooting two Jewish men in February with hate crime and firearm offenses, the US Attorney's Office for the Central Some larger cities have police forces that operate independently of the national police and report to municipal authorities. The Office of the Inspector General of the Armed Forces and the Humanitarian Law Directorate investigated and arrested members of the military accused of human rights abuses.