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. Defendants may not be compelled to testify or confess guilt. Josue Alvarado allegedly shot Marvin Alvarado after a heated discussion over Marvin Alvarados failure to wear a mask during the COVID-19 pandemic. 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. These INP-administered centers were on military installations and received some support services from the military. Prisoners suffered from overcrowding, insufficient access to food and water, violence, and alleged abuse by prison officials. Honduras 2020 OSAC Crime & Safety Report Since 2010, there have been approximately 60 murders of U.S. citizens reported in Honduras. 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. 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. Nam Y. Huh - staff, AP. Honduras is a constitutional, multiparty republic. While all formal workers are entitled to social security, there were reports that both public- and private-sector employers failed to pay into the social security system. Governmental Attitude Regarding International and Nongovernmental Investigation of Alleged Abuses of Human Rights, Section 6. 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. 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. There were numerous reports of government corruption during the year. In terms of murder rate, it's the second most violent country in Central or South America, trailing only Venezuela. Persons suspected of any of 22 specific felonies must remain in custody, pending the conclusion of judicial proceedings against them. In addition, women experienced delays in accessing justice due to police who failed to process complaints in a timely manner or judicial system officials who deferred scheduling hearings. 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. The IACHR reported the government at times used a policy of arbitrary detentions or arrests to inhibit protest. 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. 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. 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. Corruption, poor governance, and. The bloodiest municipalities are located in Francisco Morazan, San Pedro Sula, Choloma, El Progreso, and La Ceiba. The law establishes an independent and impartial judiciary in civil matters, including access to a court to seek damages for human rights violations. The Secretariat of Human Rights provided training to security forces to increase respect for human rights. Starting November 9, the government temporarily suspended the curfew to facilitate Tropical Depression Eta response efforts. The law prohibits employers from requiring pregnancy tests as a prerequisite for employment; penalties were not sufficient to deter violations. The Public Ministry reported five such cases undergoing trial, with four cases in the sentencing phase of trial. The law prohibits discrimination against persons with physical, sensory, intellectual, and mental disabilities. TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras -- Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency to fight gang crimes like extortion. The number of inspections dropped severely from 2019 as a result of the national curfew imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) reported that authorities at times failed to enforce these requirements effectively. 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. Poverty rates are higher among rural and indigenous people and in the south, west, and along the eastern border than in the north . There were no reports of this law being used to limit womens employment. The law prohibits police from unionizing (see section 7.a.). 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. A Mosheim man involved in a police pursuit in 2021 resulting in a two-vehicle crash that killed a Greene County woman entered a guilty plea Tuesday to . The Federation of Agroindustry Workers Unions reported massive layoffs and cancelation of contracts in the maquila sector during the pandemic without providing welfare benefits. The law prohibits all of the worst forms of child labor. Many employers discriminated against women. 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. 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 By law women have equal access to educational opportunities. Political Parties and Political Participation: Civil society and opposition parties accused officials of using government resources to attract voters. Public-sector trade unionists raised concerns about government interference in trade union activities, including its suspension or ignoring of collective agreements and its dismissals of union members and leaders. 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. LONDON (AP) Britain's domestic intelligence agency didn't act swiftly enough on key information and missed a significant opportunity to prevent the suicide bombing that killed 22 people at a The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reported 1,695 cases of COVID-19 in 25 prisons as of September, including cases among medical personnel, security personnel, and administrators. Women - Honduras has the fifth-highest rate of violence against women in the world. The government continued to prosecute some officials who committed abuses, but a weak judicial system and corruption were major obstacles to gaining convictions. Both the STSS and the courts may order a company to reinstate workers, but the STSS lacked the means to verify compliance. This force is composed of active members of the army and national police. By law all minors between the ages of 14 and 18 in most industries must receive special permission from the STSS to work, and the STSS must perform a home study to verify that there is an economic need for the child to work and that the child not work outside the country or in hazardous conditions, including in offshore fishing. The IACHR expressed concern in 2019 regarding the "critical levels of. In many industries, including agriculture, cleaning, and security, employers did not respect maternity rights or pay minimum wage, overtime, or vacation. The reports alleged illicit gains of more than 1.64 billion lempiras ($68 million) by government officials in the purchase of medical supplies. 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 legal age of consent is 18. 4 Defenders of the land, territory and environment continued to face unfounded criminal charges. Corruption and Lack of Transparency in Government, Section 5. During the year the National Anticorruption Council reported numerous irregularities in the purchase of emergency medical supplies during the pandemic. The government limited freedom of peaceful assembly under the national curfew imposed in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic. The country was a destination for child sex tourism. 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. An IACHR report noted there were insufficient hospital beds and inadequate supplies at the only hospital that services Gracias a Dios Department, home to the majority of the Miskito community. The law mandates that the Supreme Auditing Tribunal monitor and verify disclosures. Updated: 7 hours ago. The Human Rights Board condemned some of these arrests as arbitrary under the guise of curfew enforcement. The law provides for the right to a fair and public trial; however, the judiciary did not always enforce this right. (72 percent of these resulted in a conviction). Honduras With a crime index of 74.54, Honduras ranks fifth in the world in terms of crime rate. 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 Honduran National Police maintain internal security and report to the Secretariat of Security. As of September the Secretariat of Human Rights reported the countrys three pretrial detention centers held 79 individuals. 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 . The law permits defendants to confront witnesses against them and offer witnesses and evidence in their defense. 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. You have questions. The government did not restrict or disrupt access to the internet or censor online content, and there were no credible reports that the government monitored private online communications without appropriate legal authority. TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK : HIGH Public transport is highly risky in Honduras. In the 2013 census, approximately 8.5 percent of the population identified themselves as members of indigenous communities, but other estimates were higher. Country Summary: Violent crime, such as homicide and armed robbery, is common. The Guttmacher Institute reported 78 percent of women of reproductive age had their need for family planning satisfied with modern methods in 2019. The Violence Observatory reported 55 killings of women from March 15 to June 6, compared with 102 for the same period in 2019. 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. It prohibits employer retribution against employees for engaging in trade union activities. Campbell was an LGBTI activist and member of the Rainbow Dolls, an organization that fought violence and discrimination against members of the LGBTI community. 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 National Prison Institute (INP) reported 12 violent deaths. Both suspects were alleged members of a criminal organization involved in drug trafficking. 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. 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. That is 2,607 fewer homicides. 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. By law workers may remove themselves from situations that endanger their health or safety without jeopardizing continued employment. Freedom of Press and Media, Including Online Media: Independent media were active and expressed a wide variety of views without restriction. 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. The World Bank reported in 2018 that the adolescent birth rate was 72 births per 1,000 15-19-year-olds. Impunity, however, remained a serious problem, with significant delays in some prosecutions and sources alleging corruption in judicial proceedings. The combined homicide rate per 100 thousand population remains low, with steep declines in some countries and remaining stable in others. 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. Violence was often rooted in a broader context of conflict over land and natural resources, extensive corruption, lack of transparency and community consultation, other criminal activity, and limited state ability to protect the rights of vulnerable communities. They practice "war taxing", which is essentially just demanding money from people. Honduras' highest judicial body is the Supreme Court of Justice, which includes chambers for constitutional, criminal and civil cases. October and February were the deadliest months, with 43 and 38 women murdered on account of their gender, respectively. The National Migration Institute secretary general, responsible for final case determinations, had not resumed this function as of October. The . Introductory offer for new subscribers only. A wide variety of domestic and international human rights groups generally operated without government restriction, investigating and publishing their findings on human rights cases. 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. Authorities launched an investigation and made one arrest in connection with the kidnappings in July and five more arrests in September. 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. | Learn more about Daniel Jackson's work experience, education, connections & more by visiting their profile on LinkedIn Inspectors suspended inspections in March under the national curfew in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 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. Section 2. Honduras crime rate & statistics for 2017 was 40.98, a 26.23% decline from 2016. As of September 2020, the US had yet to begin deporting any third country nationals to Honduras under the agreement. Underscoring heightened risks facing transgender women involved in sex work, the PBI cited three alleged incidents where security forces degraded transgender women for violating the nationwide COVID-19 curfew, including by striking at least one of the individuals. The Office of the Inspector General of the Armed Forces and the Humanitarian Law Directorate investigated abuses by the military. Abusers caught in the act may be detained for up to 24 hours as a preventive measure. No cases were reported during the year. The law allows persons charged with some felonies to avail themselves of bail and gives prisoners the right of prompt access to family members. HND41066.E - Whether there is a law in Honduras that criminalizes the wearing of tattoos; reports of state agents arresting, detaining, mistreating or murdering people with tattoos that do not belong to gangs (2001 to March 2003) - March 2003 Non-Government Organization Reports Human Rights Watch ; Children and Adolescents - Honduras has the highest youth homicide rate in the world. 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 requiring prisoners to work at least five hours a day, six days a week took effect in 2016. The government took steps to address corruption at high levels in government agencies, including arresting and charging members of congress, judges, prosecutors, sitting and former senior officials, mayors and other local authorities, and police officers. 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. 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 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. The law provides for freedom of internal movement, foreign travel, emigration, and repatriation, and the government generally respected these rights. Some local and international civil society organizations, including students, agricultural workers groups, political parties, and indigenous rights groups, alleged that members of the security forces used excessive force to break up demonstrations. 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. The law provides for freedom of association, and the government generally respected this right. 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. Members of the security forces committed some abuses. Regulations for implementing the law remained under development as of September. There were no credible reports of disappearances by or on behalf of government authorities. 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 appeals court ruled the cases of former agriculture minister Jacobo Regalado and three members of his staff should proceed to trial. 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. Recent Elections: In December 2017 Juan Orlando Hernandez of the National Party was declared the winner in the November elections. 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. The law requires individuals and companies that employ more than 20 school-age children at their facilities to provide a location for a school. Iota weather conditions favored a 15-25% incidence of leaf rust in five departments of Honduras by the end of 2020. By comparison, the United States has a global safety ranking of 128. The law prohibits workers from legally striking until after they have attempted and failed to come to agreement with their employer, and it requires workers and employers to participate in a mediation and conciliation process. Freedom of Speech: The law includes a provision to punish persons who directly or through public media incite discrimination, contempt, repression, or violence against a person, group, or organization for reasons of 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. The law requires police to inform persons of the grounds for their arrest and bring detainees before a competent judicial authority within 24 hours. Indigenous groups included the Miskito, Tawahkas, Pech, Tolupans, Lencas, Maya-Chortis, Nahual, Bay Islanders, and Garifunas. The Refugee Commission suspended operations shortly after the onset of the pandemic but began reviewing applications again as of June. "They came up on me with a loaded 9mm gun with an extended clip, at least 40 bullets or so," a Houston homeowner, who wished to remain anonymous, told FOX 26 . Individuals and organizations may appeal adverse domestic decisions to the Inter-American Human Rights System. Section 1. 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 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 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. Farmers markets and local food networks aren't new to Minnesota. Five other cases were under investigation. CONAPREV reported 27 prisoner deaths due to COVID-19 through August. Download Historical Data Birth Registration: Children derive citizenship by birth in the country, from the citizenship of their parents, or by naturalization. The Public Ministry also has the Special Prosecutors Office for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, Journalists, Social Communicators, and Justice Officials. The law grants prisoners the right to prompt access to a lawyer of their choice and, if indigent, to government-provided counsel, although the public defender mechanism was weak, and authorities did not always abide by these requirements. The IACHR conducted its visit between July 30 and August 3, 2018. The collapse of this empire left the territories of what we now understand to be Central America, to split off into separate regions. If a victims physical injuries do not reach the severity required to categorize the violence as a criminal act, the legal penalty for a first offense is a sentence of one to three months of community service. Long periods of pretrial detention remained common and problematic, with many other pretrial detainees held in the general population with convicted prisoners. Journalists, environmental activists, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals, and people with disabilities are among the groups targeted for 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. 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. 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. DIDADPOL conducted internal investigations of HNP members in a continuation of the police purge begun in 2016. 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. Discrimination, Societal Abuses, and Trafficking in Persons, Acts of Violence, Criminalization, and Other Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, a. Local police and emergency services lack sufficient resources to respond effectively to serious crime. On June 19, Garifuna leader Antonio Bernardez was found dead from bullet wounds six days after his disappearance. 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. Honduras Honduras, long one of the poorest countries in Latin America, is now also among the most violent and crime-ridden. 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 There is also a Human Rights Committee in the National Congress. The National Interinstitutional Security Force is an interagency command that coordinates the overlapping responsibilities of the national police, military police of public order, National Intelligence Directorate, and Public Ministry during interagency operations. The National Human Rights Commission of Honduras received complaints about human rights abuses and referred them to the Public Ministry for investigation. Internal displacement was generally caused by violence, national and transnational gang activity, and human trafficking. Nongovernmental Impact: Some journalists and other members of civil society reported threats from members of organized-crime groups. (SOUTH DAKOTA NEWS WATCH) - South Dakota received nearly $14 billion in federal COVID-19 funding from March 2020 through January, according to an internal state fiscal report . According to UNICEF, 8 percent of children were married before age 15, and 34 percent before age 18. 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. Inspectors began undergoing virtual training in new technology in March in response to the challenges brought about by the pandemic and national curfew. 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. Some employers either refused to engage in collective bargaining or made it very difficult to do so. The government used pretrial detention centers to hold high-profile suspects and those in need of additional security. Without a visa, Central Americans are routinely pulled from buses by authorities to prevent them from making their way. 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 . In these sectors employers frequently paid workers for the standard 44-hour workweek no matter how many additional hours they worked. 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. Violent gang activity, such as extortion, violent street crime, rape, and narcotics and human trafficking, is widespread.