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These tensions have resulted in intense protests and violence. Post-specific Concerns. Environmental Hazards. Honduras has a long history of sustaining damage due to powerful tropical storms and hurricanes. The rainy season usually runs May-November. Critical Infrastructure. The limited capacity of the government to enforce international standards related to natural resource exploitation has resulted in higher levels of conflict in the extractive and electrical generation industries.
In addition to complying with local laws, companies involved in natural resource extraction or energy generation should ensure they fully consult with communities in accordance with international standards. In November , Tegucigalpa authorities began developing a luxury housing project in the La Tigra bioreserve, just outside of the city.
Economic Concerns. Historically, corruption has been pervasive in government procurement, issuance of government permits, customs, real estate transactions particularly land title transfers , performance requirements, and the regulatory system. Honduras received support from the Millennium Challenge Corporation in the development of an e-procurement platform and public procurement auditing. Since its inception in , MACCIH has worked with the Public Ministry to achieve success on several significant cases, including against current and former public officials.
Land title procedures have been an issue leading to investment disputes involving U. Resolution of disputes in court often takes years.
There are claims of widespread corruption in land sales, deed filing, and dispute resolution, including claims against attorneys, real estate companies, judges, and local officials. Although Honduras has made some progress, many perceive the property registration system as unreliable and a constraint on investment, particularly in the Bay Islands. In addition, a lack of implementing regulations leads to long delays in the awarding of titles in some regions.
Cable signal theft and counterfeit products are the most prevalent violations of intellectual property rights in Honduras. Counterfeit products are predominately but not solely in the pharmaceutical and apparel industries. Counterfeit Honduran lempiras currency are common, especially in the and denominations. Counterfeit U. Personal Identity Concerns. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Honduras. Honduran law requires access to buildings for persons with disabilities; however, there are limited facilities for individuals with disabilities.
Drug-related Crimes. Drug trafficking and gang activity, which includes local micro-trafficking of narcotics and extortion, are the main causes of violent crime in Honduras. Penalties for the possession, use, or trafficking of illegal narcotics are strict; convicted offenders can expect lengthy jail sentences and fines. Kidnapping Threat. According to the Honduran National Police, there were 12 kidnappings reported nationwide during Although reports of kidnappings have dropped considerably in recent years, they continue to affect both the local and expatriate communities, with victims sometimes paying large ransoms for the prospect of release.
Reports of kidnappings of U. However, kidnapping figures are likely lower than reality, as families of kidnapping victims often pay ransoms without reporting these crimes to police out of fear of retribution.
Police Response. Police may take hours to arrive at the scene of a violent crime or may not respond at all.
and human rights of all people. 1 The acronym LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, Transgender and intersex) broadly reflects the various identities used in Honduras. Keywords: adolescent relationship violence, teen dating violence, adolescent intimate partner In Honduras, partners carried out research in urban (​Tegucigalpa) and rural especially common among adolescents in the urban site in Brazil, although girls were still more likely to be victims of physical and sexual IPV.
As a result, criminals operate with a high degree of impunity. The government places specially trained police forces in areas tourists frequent e. The government is implementing similar programs for other locations e. La Ceiba, Trujillo and major hotels; other tourist installations have increased private and police security.
Uniforms and vehicles are all clearly marked. Detained U. Embassy representatives as soon as possible. The police generally treat detained foreigners well. Except in some very rural locations, police are aware of a U. Travelers should be aware, however, that the assistance the Embassy can provide is limited to making sure U. The Embassy cannot secure the release or act as legal representation for any U.
Local law allows the police to detain someone for up to 24 hours for administrative processing. 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. Seek legal representation before admitting or signing any legal form that acknowledges culpability. If you or someone you know becomes the victim of a crime, contact the local police and U.
Embassy Tegucigalpa. Reach the local police anywhere in Honduras by dialing For fire and public safety emergencies, dial Medical Emergencies. Medical care is limited. Emergency services, even in Tegucigalpa, generally are basic. There are few U. Red Cross ambulance: , or The ambulance does not have paramedics or emergency medical equipment; it functions solely as transport to hospitals. Fire Department Ambulance is fully equipped with emergency medical supplies and medical staff. Dial for emergency or call The Honduras Medical Center HMC is the primary private hospital that the Embassy uses for emergency response and when hospitalization is required.
Despite being considered the best private hospital in Tegucigalpa, it is not Joint Commission International JCI accredited; JCI is an independent, not-for-profit organization that evaluates and accredits healthcare organizations. Although its specialists occasionally cannot provide the U. Find contact information for available medical services and available air ambulance services on the U.
Travelers are responsible for ensuring that they have adequate health coverage while in Honduras. Department of State strongly recommends purchasing international health insurance before traveling internationally. Country-specific Vaccination and Health Guidance. Honduras requires proof of Yellow Fever immunization if coming from another country endemic with Yellow Fever. Honduras lacks the infrastructure to maintain water purity and food safety. Diarrheal illness is very common even in large cities and luxury accommodations.
Only sealed commercial water containers bottles are considered safe to drink.
Air pollution can aggravate or lead to respiratory problems during the dry season due to widespread forest fires and agricultural burning. In December , he was shot to death by two men on a motorcycle. Although human rights groups demanded an investigation, no one has been prosecuted for his killing to date. Human Rights violations are not accidents; they are not random in distribution and effect.
Rights violations are, rather, symptoms of deeper pathologies of power and are linked intimately to the social conditions that so often determine who will suffer abuse and who will be shielded from harm. If assaults on dignity are anything but random in distribution or course, whose interests are served by the suggestion that they are haphazard?
Structural violence, so often directly tied to U. What message is the U. This was particularly evident at Puerto Lempira Hospital, which covers the entire population of Gracias a Dios Department and which is suffering from serious shortages of supplies, electricity, and medical specialists. With regard to the right to education, in addition to the unmet demand for bilingual, intercultural education, there are constant complaints about the lack of basic infrastructure and teaching staff, as well as labor and trade union rights.
The Preliminary Observations document contains a detailed analysis of the specific situation of groups that are of particular concern: women; girls, boys, and adolescents; lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex people; human rights defenders; people in state custody, including those deprived of freedom and in the custody of the juvenile justice system; indigenous peoples and people of African descent; internally displaced people; and migrants, people in need of international protection, and returnees.
This document presents a summary of the observations concerning each of these groups. Women The IACHR reiterates its concern around the serious violence being perpetrated against women in Honduras, the different ways in which this is expressed, and the high levels of impunity around this.
Likewise, the IACHR has observed with concern the violence perpetrated against women in particularly vulnerable situations, such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex LGBTI women and human rights defenders. The IACHR wishes to stress once more that these acts of violence are not isolated, but are instead symptomatic of a pattern of structural discrimination against women. The machismo and gender stereotypes that are deep-rooted in Honduran society increase the risks that women are exposed to and prevent them from fully exercising their right to live a life free of violence.
Likewise, the IACHR expresses its concern over the interconnected nature of the threats women face based on factors such as sexual orientation and gender identity, disability, ethnicity, or race. Honduras is one of only five countries in the world not to contemplate abortion on any ground at all. The promotion, use, sale, distribution, and purchase of such medication carries the same penalties as abortion itself, even when used to treat or assist rape victims. With regard to access to sexual education services, the IACHR has been informed of the lack of comprehensive plans to promote prevention and provide education and access to information on sexual and reproductive health, including family planning methods.
Girls, Boys, and Adolescents One area of particular concern is the impact that the current socio-economic situation is having on the rights, well-being, and development opportunities of girls, boys, adolescents, and young people. Child poverty rates in Honduras are worse than anywhere else in Latin America. The country is home to less than 4 million children but , of these boys and girls currently work. Over a million boys, girls, and adolescents between the ages of 3 and 17 do not regularly attend school or are not enrolled in the education system at all.
These figures are even more overwhelming among children from indigenous communities or those of African descent, and those with disabilities. Particular attention needs to be paid to including returnee migrant children and those displaced by violence in the education system. The IACHR wishes to repeat its concern over the Guardians of the Homeland Plan, which introduces the armed forces and the police into the educational sphere in order to control the presence of gangs and maras and the sale and consumption of drugs in schools. This program promotes a military culture that is at odds with the notion of a peaceful society and also stigmatizes and endangers boys and girls from certain social sectors.
Furthermore, the climate of insecurity and violence that reigns in the country is particularly detrimental to boys, girls, and teenagers. Children who live in neighborhoods where maras and gangs are particularly well established are among those whose rights are most affected. The IACHR warns that girls, boys, and adolescents are exposed to pressure, threats, violence, and deception by gangs, who use and abuse them for their own ends.
They are also stigmatized, discriminated against, and mistreated by security agents, who see them as potential delinquents. With regard to girls and boys who live on the streets, the IACHR is concerned over their extreme vulnerability to so-called social cleansing operations. This violence is the reason that many girls, boys, and adolescents and their families opt for migration or internal displacement. Furthermore, the IACHR wishes to express its concern over the high number of teenage pregnancies and the levels of sexual violence experienced by girls and teenagers.
The sexual abuse of children is cause for deep concern and demands urgent priority action on the part of the state to include a strategy to modify social gender stereotypes, empower and educate girls and adolescents around their rights, and provide access to services such as free hour telephone helplines. During its visit, the IACHR was informed of the progress that the state of Honduras made in when it modified its legislation to prohibit boys, girls, and teenagers from marrying before the age of To prevent teenage pregnancies, the IACHR urges the state to include sexual and reproductive education in the school curriculum.
The IACHR acknowledges different measures that the state has taken in connection with juvenile justice such as the reform seeking to make juvenile justice more focused and bring it in line with international standards. Another such measure is the establishment of the National Institute for the Care of Juvenile Offenders INAMI , which is responsible for overseeing operations at detention centers for adolescents who have been processed by the criminal justice system.
However, the IACHR warns that children and adolescents who are deprived of their freedom experience substandard incarceration conditions, excessive use of pretrial detention, and a limited supply of social rehabilitation programs. It also draws attention to the need for more legal authorities who specialize in this age group.