On April 2, a private security guard for the sugar company La Grecia shot and killed land rights defender Iris Argentina Alvarez Chavez during a confrontation between land rights defenders and private guards. The PBI reported an incident on April 23 near Tela, Atlantida Department, involving the alleged use of live rounds by police in response to a protest, injuring two individuals. For crimes with minimum sentences of six years imprisonment, the law authorizes pretrial detention of up to two years. 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. 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. LGBTI rights groups asserted that government agencies and private employers engaged in discriminatory hiring practices. By comparison, the United States has a global safety ranking of 128. Homicide Rates in the Northern. 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. 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 victims were land-rights defenders from the Afro-descendant Garifuna minority group. The government did not effectively enforce the law. the 2017 Annual Report. In 2020, 278 women were murdered in the country and, as of November 2021, more than. Administrative penalties were insufficient to deter violations and were rarely enforced. As of June the Violence Observatory reported killings of 71 persons younger than 18. Respect for the Integrity of the Person, Including Freedom from: a. The law prohibits discrimination against persons with physical, sensory, intellectual, and mental disabilities. The World Bank reported in 2018 that the adolescent birth rate was 72 births per 1,000 15-19-year-olds. About. Farmers markets and local food networks aren't new to Minnesota. They practice "war taxing", which is essentially just demanding money from people. The law provides for the right to a fair and public trial; however, the judiciary did not always enforce this right. 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. Although the country experiences one of its lowest homicide rates in the last decade, authorities recorded 3,496 violent deaths in 2020. 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. CONAPREV reported 27 prisoner deaths due to COVID-19 through August. While there were cases where a worker was reinstated, such as the reinstatement of a union leader in Tegucigalpa following his unlawful dismissal, the reinstatement process in the courts was unduly long, lasting from six months to more than five years. Authorities arrested Bogran on October 5 and released him on October 8 on bail pending trial. Anticorruption efforts remained an area of concern, as did the governments ability to protect justice sector officials, such as prosecutors and judges. 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. According to the Center for the Investigation and Promotion of Human Rights, on March 24, police arbitrarily detained Evelyn Johana Castillo, sub-coordinator of the Womens Network of Ojojona and member of the National Network of Defenders of Human Rights. The Public Ministry reported five such cases undergoing trial, with four cases in the sentencing phase of trial. The government generally respected these provisions. Yes, despite all the historical crime and violence, which don't affect tourists, El Salvador is safe to visit in 2023. 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. 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. Many prisoners had access to weapons and other contraband, inmates attacked other inmates with impunity, and inmates and their associates outside prison threatened prison officials and their families. Employers frequently penalized agricultural workers for taking legally authorized days off. Q: What happened to the original stars of "The Wild Wild West"? 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. Individuals and organizations may appeal adverse domestic decisions to the Inter-American Human Rights System. The government cooperated with UNHCR and other humanitarian organizations that provide protection and assistance to refugees and other persons of concern. This is the second consecutive year that the murder rate falls below 40 per . Women held 21 percent of seats in the National Congress, down from 26 percent prior to the 2017 elections. Josue Alvarado was assigned to Task Force Maya Chorti. Prison conditions were harsh and sometimes life-threatening due to pervasive gang-related violence and the governments failure to control criminal activity within the prisons. Low salaries and a lack of internal controls rendered judicial officials susceptible to bribery, although the Supreme Court significantly raised salaries during the year and made improvements in transparency. 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 STSS approved 43 such authorizations through September. Transgender individuals noted their inability to update identity documents to reflect their gender identity. This report provides a snapshot of events during 2021 relevant to countries designated as State Sponsors of Terrorism. 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 applies equally to citizens and foreigners, regardless of gender, and prescribes a maximum eight-hour shift per day for most workers, a 44-hour workweek, and at least one 24-hour rest period for every six days of work. The IACHR reported the government at times used a policy of arbitrary detentions or arrests to inhibit protest. Honduras has the highest femicide rate in the Latin American region, with 6.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. It also provides for paid national holidays and annual leave. 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 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. 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. Employers rarely paid the minimum wage in the agricultural sector and paid it inconsistently in other sectors. Mental health professionals expressed concern about social stigma by families and communities against persons with mental disabilities and a lack of access to mental health care throughout the country. The end of the civil war ushered in new and complex forms of violence: The Autonomous University of Honduras Violence Observatory reported 13 arbitrary or unlawful killings by security forces during the year. In-country Movement: Under the national curfew from March 16, the government limited freedom of movement by allowing individuals to move outside their homes one day every two weeks. Trying again, focused this time on crime, he was . This was the result of strong legislation, low cybersecurity exposure (how exposed the digital infrastructure is) and the exceptional top score at the Global Cybersecurity Index, one of the six indices taken . 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 . For years, street gangs have charged protection . Many prisons lacked sufficient security personnel. Financial Disclosure: Public officials are subject to a financial disclosure law but did not always comply. Access to Asylum: The law provides for the granting of asylum or refugee status. Bernardez was a leader in the Punta Piedra community. 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. Defendants may receive free assistance from an interpreter. Estimates of the number of children younger than 18 in the countrys workforce ranged from 370,000 to 510,000. 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. CONAPREV conducted more than 84 visits to adult prisons as of the end of August. The law provides for freedom of internal movement, foreign travel, emigration, and repatriation, and the government generally respected these rights. Corruption, poor governance, and. 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. World Report 2021 - Honduras. The Public Ministry created a new anticorruption unit, the Special Prosecution Unit against Corruption Networks, which is charged with pursuing MACCIH legacy corruption cases. 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). Some judges, however, ruled that such suspects may be released on the condition that they continue to report periodically to authorities. Japan also is a member of the G-7 Counterterrorism and Counter-Crime Rome-Lyon Group. Local police and emergency services lack sufficient resources to respond effectively to serious crime. The law prohibits illicit association, defined as gatherings by persons bearing arms, explosive devices, or dangerous objects with the purpose of committing a crime, and prescribes prison terms of two to four years and a moderate fine for anyone who convokes or directs an illicit meeting or demonstration. The law states that sexual orientation and gender-identity characteristics merit special protection from discrimination and includes these characteristics in a hate crimes amendment to the penal code. 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 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. In Honduras, the types of danger include, but are not limited to, violent gang activity, trafficking, rape, street crime and armed robbery. Abusers caught in the act may be detained for up to 24 hours as a preventive measure. The law permits fines, and while the monetary penalty is commensurate with those for other laws involving denials of civil rights, such as discrimination, the failure of the government to collect those fines facilitated continued labor law violations. 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. Penalties for facilitating child sex trafficking are 10 to 15 years in prison, with substantial fines. On November 15, 2017, the State of Honduras invited the IACHR to visit Honduras to analyze the human rights situation in the country. The government did not effectively enforce the law. In cooperation with the UN Development Program, the government operated consolidated reporting centers in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula where women could report crimes, seek medical and psychological attention, and receive other services. The law prohibits all of the worst forms of child labor. The Public Ministry is responsible for prosecuting violations. 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. Mike DeWine and the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation (OBWC) Administrator John Logue announced today that the state's private employers will pay nearly $90 million less 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 Some Hondurans reported being beaten as they attempted to cross the country. Victims were primarily impoverished individuals in both rural and urban areas (see section 7.c.). The government did not effectively enforce these laws and regulations, although penalties were commensurate with laws related to civil rights, such as election interference. Female victims of domestic violence are entitled to certain protective measures, such as removal of the abuser from the home and prohibiting the abuser from visiting the victims work or other frequently visited places. As of September the Secretariat of Human Rights reported the countrys three pretrial detention centers held 79 individuals. Corruption: On March 13, the Supreme Court of Justice ordered a new trial for former first lady Rosa Elena Bonilla de Lobo, spouse of former president Porfirio Lobo, who was convicted in August 2019 of fraud and misappropriation of public funds and sentenced to 58 years in prison. Honduras registered over 120,000 cases of COVID-19 and 3,100 deaths by the end of 2020, according to University of Oxford researchers. Due to pandemic restrictions imposed in March, the STSS was very limited in its ability to conduct inspections. DIDADPOL investigated abuses by police forces. CONAPREV reported every prison had a functioning health clinic with at least one medical professional, but basic medical supplies and medicines were in short supply throughout the prison system. Corruption and Lack of Transparency in Government, Section 5. The law requires overtime pay, bans excessive compulsory overtime, limits overtime to four hours a day for a maximum workday of 12 hours, and prohibits the practice of requiring workers to complete work quotas before leaving their place of employment. That is 2,607 fewer homicides. According to the secretariat, the system had a designed capacity for approximately 10,600 inmates. | Learn more about Daniel Jackson's work experience, education, connections & more by visiting their profile on LinkedIn The reports alleged illicit gains of more than 1.64 billion lempiras ($68 million) by government officials in the purchase of medical supplies. Section 2. Both the ministry and the commission focused on developing policies to address IDPs. The Public Ministry also has the Special Prosecutors Office for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, Journalists, Social Communicators, and Justice Officials. The whereabouts of four Indigenous Garifuna members of the Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH) forcibly disappeared in July 2020 remained unknown. The law provides for freedom of peaceful assembly, and the government generally respected this right. . The rate of young people killing other young people is down to two main gangs : Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18. The government relies heavily on the . Coercion in Population Control: There were no reports of coerced abortion or involuntary sterilization on the part of government authorities. 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. 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 . Of course, while it's not ever good to generalize an. The law states that a womans employment should be appropriate according to her physical state and capacity. COFADEH reported an increase of complaints regarding the use of excessive and disproportionate force by security forces under the national curfew. Media reports noted that family members often faced long delays or were unable to visit detainees. Internal displacement was generally caused by violence, national and transnational gang activity, and human trafficking. Subscribe to the Ojai Valley News. Police were investigating the killings. Starting November 9, the government temporarily suspended the curfew to facilitate Tropical Depression Eta response efforts. The reported killings took place during law enforcement operations or were linked to other criminal activity by government agents. Although the law prohibits such practices, government officials received complaints and investigated alleged abuses by members of the security forces on the streets and in detention centers. Honduras: homicide rate 2014-2021. The Violence Observatory reported 55 killings of women from March 15 to June 6, compared with 102 for the same period in 2019. 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. In January 2020, the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Honduran government failed to reach an agreement to renew the mandate of the Mission to Support the Fight against Corruption and Impunity in . 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. Impunity, however, remained a serious problem, with significant delays in some prosecutions and sources alleging corruption in judicial proceedings. See the Department of States Trafficking in Persons Report at https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/. Honduras' highest judicial body is the Supreme Court of Justice, which includes chambers for constitutional, criminal and civil cases. A stronger outbreak is expected during the 2021 rainy season (May-November) due to . Respect for Civil Liberties, Including: a. ; Children and Adolescents - Honduras has the highest youth homicide rate in the world. The bloodiest municipalities are located in Francisco Morazan, San Pedro Sula, Choloma, El Progreso, and La Ceiba. 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 . Abuse of Migrants, Refugees, and Stateless Persons: Transiting migrants and asylum seekers with pending cases were vulnerable to abuse by criminal organizations. The government continued to prosecute individuals allegedly involved in the 2016 killing of environmental and indigenous activist Berta Caceres. The web site offers its visitors the latest in safety and security-related information, public announcements, warden messages, travel advisories, significant anniversary dates, terrorist groups profiles, country crime and safety reports, special topic reports, foreign press reports, and much more. The law also requires that public-sector workers involved in the refining, transportation, and distribution of petroleum products submit their grievances to the Secretariat of Labor and Social Security (STSS) before striking. is a specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes the development of international air navigation safety and security . Specialties: Executive management, negotiations, project approval and feasibility, business development, strategy, project management, quality, audit and risk management, business resilience, corporate governance. No cases were reported during the year. Libel/Slander Laws: Citizens, including public officials, may initiate criminal proceedings for libel and slander. Reports of violence related to land conflicts and criminal activity continued. Campbell was an LGBTI activist and member of the Rainbow Dolls, an organization that fought violence and discrimination against members of the LGBTI community. CRIME AND INSECURITY IN HONDURAS . COFADEH reported police beat and smeared a tear gas-covered cloth on the face of an individual detained for violating the national curfew in April in El Paraiso. 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. With high rates of impunity, including 90 percent for killings of women in the last 15 years according to the Violence Observatory, civil society groups reported that women often did not report domestic violence, or withdrew the charges, because they feared or were economically dependent on the aggressor. Major urban centers and drug-trafficking routes experienced the highest rates of violence. 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. 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. Updated: 7 hours ago. Freedom of Expression, Including for the Press, b. Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly and Association, e. Status and Treatment of Internally Displaced Persons, Section 3. The law provides a maximum sentence of three years in prison for disobeying a restraining order connected with the crime of intrafamilial violence. The Association for a Better Life and the Cattrachas Lesbian Network both reported 16 violent deaths of LGBTI persons as of September. 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. 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 Secretariat of Human Rights stated it was taking every precaution to protect prisoners rights and assure that the work provided opportunities for prisoners to develop skills they could use in legal economic activities after their release. There were no credible reports of political prisoners or detainees. The government has an Office for Persons with Disabilities located within the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion, but its ability to provide services to persons with disabilities was limited. Credible observers noted problems in trial procedures, such as a lack of admissible evidence, judicial corruption, widespread public distrust of the legal system, witness intimidation, and an ineffective witness protection program. 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 Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor, c. Prohibition of Child Labor and Minimum Age for Employment, d. Discrimination with Respect to Employment and Occupation. By law the STSS may fine companies that violate the right to freedom of association. About Us; Staff; Camps; Scuba. The law presumes an accused person is innocent. 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. The Public Ministry reported five such cases undergoing trial, with four cases in the sentencing phase of trial. Voters elected Juan Orlando Hernandez of the National Party as president for a four-year term beginning in January 2018. International observers generally recognized the elections as free but disputed the fairness and transparency of the results. Five other cases were under investigation. Honduras is somewhat safe to visit, though it has many dangers. The law requires police to inform persons of the grounds for their arrest and bring detainees before a competent judicial authority within 24 hours. Employers frequently refused to comply with STSS orders that required them to reinstate workers who had been dismissed for participating in union activities. The law requires a judge to issue an eviction order for individuals occupying public and private property if security forces have not evicted the individuals within a specified period of time. The law was not effectively enforced, and weak public institutional structures contributed to the inadequate enforcement. The National Prison Institute (INP) reported 12 violent deaths. Forced labor occurred in street vending, domestic service, the transport of drugs and other illicit goods, other criminal activity, and the informal sector. Civil society organizations criticized the governments failure to investigate threats adequately. The vast majority of children who worked did so without STSS permits. Health-care workers protested the lack of adequate protective equipment and delayed salary payments during the COVID-19 pandemic. The appeals court would have to rule on the motion before the trial could move forward. 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. Child Abuse: Child abuse remained a serious problem. 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. Impunity for such crimes was a problem, as was the impunity rate for all types of crime. Members of the security forces committed some abuses. Persons suspected of any of 22 specific felonies must remain in custody, pending the conclusion of judicial proceedings against them. In the agricultural sector, companies frequently paid less than minimum wage to most workers, with fewer than 1 percent of agricultural workers receiving the minimum wage. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost her bid for a second term Tuesday, failing to make a top-two runoff in the latest demonstration of growing concerns about crime in one of the nation's largest . The government allocated a budget of nearly 12.6 million lempiras ($526,000) for the continued operation of a protection mechanism that included provision of protection to journalists.
honduras crime and safety report 2020