While hurricane winds are a concern, much of the damage to infrastructure comes as a result of the ensuing flooding and rock/mudslides. For more in-depth information, review OSACs. The law provides citizens the right to choose their government in free and fair periodic elections held by secret ballot and based on nearly universal and equal suffrage. The Public Ministry reported two such cases in judicial processing and five other cases under investigation as of September. As of September CONADEH had received 33 complaints. Responding police fired tear gas in and around the main terminal to regain control after protesters entered the building and airport grounds. Through August CONADEH received six reports of discrimination against individuals with disabilities. In terms of natural disasters, Honduras experiences a wet season from May to November that poses a number of dangerous threats, including hurricanes, landslides, mudslides, and flooding. Most child labor occurred in rural areas. There is no statutory rape law, but the penalty for rape of a minor younger than 14 is 12 to 17 years in prison, or nine to 13 years in prison if the victim is 14 or older. 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. Nevertheless, Honduras had yet to sign the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean (Escaz . As of December 2020, internally displaced people in Honduras represented almost 80 percent of the internally displaced population in Central America and Mexico. Freedom to Participate in the Political Process, Section 4. The law provides for an independent judiciary, but the justice system was poorly funded and staffed, inadequately equipped, often ineffective, and subject to intimidation, corruption, politicization, and patronage. Nonetheless, many prisoners remained in custody after completing their full sentences, and sometimes even after an acquittal, because officials failed to process their releases expeditiously. Sample Page; ; Also see the Department of States Trafficking in Persons Report at https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/. Also see the Department of Labors Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor/findings. For crimes with minimum sentences of six years imprisonment, the law authorizes pretrial detention of up to two years. Violence linked to land disputes also occurs, particularly in the Bay Islands and Bajo Aguan Valley in northern Honduras. Such an order may be effective for up to six days, after which the judge must hold a pretrial hearing to examine whether there is probable cause to continue pretrial detention. Violent organized crime continues to disrupt Honduran society and push many people to leave the country. The World Bank reported in 2018 that the adolescent birth rate was 72 births per 1,000 girls ages 15 to 19. Police may take hours to arrive at the scene of a violent crime or may not respond at all. The law prohibits police from unionizing (see section 7.a.). There is street crime even in gated communities commonly referred to locally as. The government has also begun implementing a series of police reforms; it has formed groups such as the National Inter-Agency Security Task Force (FUSINA) and the National Anti-Gang Task Force (FNAMP) to combat crime. The accused were in pretrial detention awaiting the next phase of the judicial process. Rape and Domestic Violence: The law criminalizes all forms of rape of women or men, including spousal rape. Although its specialists occasionally cannot provide the U.S. standard of care, the hospital and diagnostic departments do have the capability to provide most medical procedures. Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people in close to 100 countries worldwide, spotlighting abuses and bringing perpetrators to justice, Human Rights Watch is a 501(C)(3)nonprofit registered in the US under EIN: 13-2875808, Internal Displacement, Migration, and Asylum. The law regulates child labor, sets the minimum age for employment at age 14, and regulates the hours and types of work that minors younger than 18 may perform. The law grants workers the right to form and join unions of their choice, bargain collectively, and strike. The center, administered by the National Prison Institute, was on a military installation and received some support services from the military. Criminals sometimes obtain personal information through social media, the internet, or a victims family member. Review OSACs reports, The Healthy Way, Traveling with Medication, Im Drinking What in My Water?, Shaken: The Donts of Alcohol Abroad, Health 101: How to Prepare for Travel, and Fire Safety Abroad. The safety situation in Honduras has been deteriorating in recent years due to gang violence and organized crime. Those traveling with tour/missionary groups report fewer criminal incidents. The Honduras Medical Center (HMC) is the primary private hospital that the Embassy uses for emergency response and when hospitalization is required. The law provides for criminal penalties for corruption by officials, but authorities did not implement the law effectively, and officials continued to engage in corrupt practices with impunity. While many protests remain relatively peaceful, demonstrations can escalate into violent confrontations with the police resulting in destruction to public and private property. Roads have poor lighting and markings. Schools were closed in March 2020 and had not yet returned to full in-person classes by September 2021. It prohibits employer retribution against employees for engaging in trade union activities. LGBTI+ travelers should exercise caution, especially when expressing affection in public. The law establishes prison sentences of up to two and one-half years for child abuse. Most children who worked did so without STSS permits. Major urban centers and drug trafficking routes experienced the highest rates of violence. While many protests remain relatively peaceful, demonstrations can escalate into violent confrontations with the police resulting in destruction to public and private property. The government investigated and prosecuted some of these crimes, but impunity was widespread. In 2022, 34 femicides have been registered as of 21 In 2022, 34 femicides were registered and 17. In January 2021, the IACHR and the UN special rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons urged the government to adopt a law protecting internally displaced people. S.S.S. On April 27, the Public Ministry filed an indictment against police officer Jarol Rolando Perdomo Sarmiento for the February 6 murder of Keyla Martinez in La Esperanza, Intibuca Department. The law provides for freedom of association, and the government generally respected this right. Do not travel to Gracias a Dios Department due to crime. In March 2019, the Honduran Government created the National Urban Transportation Security Force to combat extortion and other crimes perpetrated by gangs. Review OSACs reports, The CDC offers additional information on vaccines and health guidance for, The Honduras Country Council generally meets monthly on a rotating basis in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula and has approximately 70 members. The change increases the penalty from two to four years to four to six years. Traffic signs, even on major highways, are often inadequate; streets are often unmarked even in major cities. Support and resources from a four-year Organization of American States (OAS) mission to strengthen the fight against corruption and impunity, concluded in January 2020, have not produced lasting reforms. Penalties include prison sentences of up to two years and monetary fines. This is a common practice for most automobile accidents where personal injury occurs, and for cases in which someone is accused of a criminal act. . Women, children, and LGBTQI+ migrants and asylum seekers with pending cases were especially vulnerable to abuse. Review OSACs reports, Road Safety Abroad, Driving Overseas: Best Practices, and Evasive Driving Techniques; and read the State Departments webpage on driving and road safety abroad. The law provides for freedom of expression, including for members of the press and other media, with some restrictions, and the government generally respected this right. Many of these U.S. citizens are church and humanitarian aid volunteers working throughout the country, including in gang-controlled neighborhoods. According to UN reports from 2020, transnational gang activity was a primary contributor to violence-related internal displacement. CONADEH received four reports as of August. For fire and public safety emergencies, dial 911. Weak state institutions and abuses by security forces have contributed to persistent gang violence. LGBTQI+ rights groups asserted that government agencies and private employers engaged in discriminatory hiring practices. The country was a destination for child sex tourism, particularly in the tourist area of the Bay Islands. Review the State Departments webpage on. The Human Rights Secretariat (SEDH) informed that 314 women were murdered in Honduras in 2021. The National Police is responsible for avoiding and investigating crimes in Honduras, and consists of the National Preventive Police and different special units focused on anti-gang and anti . On June 17, a riot between alleged members of the 18th Street and MS-13 gangs in the maximum-security prison La Tolva in Moroceli, El Paraiso Department, resulted in five dead and 39 injured. Defendants may receive free assistance from an interpreter. Prosecutors and whistleblowers have received death threats. The STSS may levy a fine against companies that fail to pay social security obligations, but the amount was not sufficient to deter violations. Coca Growing, Cocaine Production Reach New Heights in Honduras. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. More than half of the men and two-thirds of the women were in pretrial detention, according to official statistics. Administrative penalties were insufficient to deter violations and were rarely enforced. open sources and (U) embassy reporting. These workers are not covered by the contributory social security system and are not protected by the labor code. 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. The government allocated a budget of nearly 21 million lempiras ($865,000) for the continued operation of a protection mechanism for journalists, human rights defenders, and judicial-sector operators. Members of the LGBTI+ community have reported violent assaults because of gender identity and sexual orientation. In 2019, there was one murder case involving a resident U.S. citizen in Roatn. Powerful special interests, including organized criminal groups, exercised influence on the outcomes of some court proceedings. The law entered into force on November 1. On May 30, protesters blocked several main avenues in Tegucigalpa, including access to Toncontn International Airport (TGU). Share this via Reddit Government officials were somewhat cooperative and responsive to their views, but some human rights organizations criticized government officials for lack of access and responsiveness. There have also been cases of police harassment of patrons in LGBTI+ nightclubs. Avoid traveling at night and always drive with doors locked and windows rolled up to deter potential robberies at traffic lights and on congested downtown streets. Nongovernmental Impact: Some journalists and other members of civil society reported threats from members of organized criminal groups. Some larger cities have police forces that operate independently of the national police and report to municipal authorities. Her retrial was scheduled for February 2022. The accused has the right to an initial hearing before a judge, to ask for bail, consult with legal counsel in a timely manner, have a lawyer provided by the state if necessary, and request an appeal. Due to the remote nature of these areas, the governments ability to respond to violence or other problems is often very limited, as is access to medical facilities. (white sedan taxis with a sticker on the windshield denoting its established route), (private white sedan taxis with no established routes), and, (small buses that pick up multiple riders). Review OSACs report, Understanding the Consular Travel Advisory System. Freedom of Expression, Including for Members of the Press and Other Media, b. Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly and Association, d. Freedom of Movement and the Right to Leave the Country, e. Status and Treatment of Internally Displaced Persons, Section 3. 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. otherwise distributing OSAC-derived information in a manner inconsistent with this policy may result in the discontinuation of OSAC support. The ambulance does not have paramedics or emergency medical equipment; it functions solely as transport to hospitals. By law workers may remove themselves from situations that endanger their health or safety without jeopardizing continued employment. Violent transnational criminal organizations are also involved in narcotics trafficking and other illicit commerce. On July 25, media reported individuals shot and killed Liberal Party congressional candidate and former congresswoman Carolina Echeverria Haylock in Tegucigalpa. Some would-be muggers and gang members keep to a daily schedule, riding city buses from one stop to the next, committing criminal acts with impunity along the way.