Mental health professionals expressed concern regarding social stigma by families and communities against persons with mental disabilities and a lack of access to mental health care throughout the country. The law allows persons charged with some felonies to avail themselves of bail and gives prisoners the right of prompt access to family members. These conditions contributed to an unstable, dangerous environment in the penitentiary system. Bay islands in Honduaras by daarwasik (CC BY) That meant that Honduras generated around $722M (USD) in the tourism sector, accounting for 3% of the national GDP. Most child labor occurred in rural areas. Latest News Profile Criminal Actors Investigations News Latest News The law prohibits employers from requiring pregnancy tests as a prerequisite for employment; penalties were not sufficient to deter violations. The most recent national and local elections were held in November. Honduras is a constitutional, multiparty republic. In most prisons only inmates who purchased bottled water or had water filters in their cells had access to potable water. The law requires that persons with disabilities have access to buildings, but few buildings were accessible, and the government did not effectively implement laws or programs to provide such access. The STSS has the power to declare a work stoppage illegal, and employers may discipline employees consistent with their internal regulations, including by firing strikers, if the STSS rules that a work stoppage is illegal. Individuals and organizations may appeal adverse domestic decisions to the Inter-American Human Rights System. Occupational Safety and Health: The government did not effectively enforce occupational safety and health standards, particularly in the construction, garment assembly, and agricultural sectors, as well as in the informal economy. 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. Child Abuse: Child abuse remained a serious problem. Avoid wandering around local villages after hours. 26 Feb 2021. Safety and security Crime There are high levels of crime in Honduras. Civilian authorities at times did not maintain effective control over security forces. Thousands of Hondurans affected by hurricanes Eta and Iota, violence and poverty were forced to leave the country and headed north. The mandate of the Office in Honduras is to monitor and report on the human rights situation in the country, provide technical assistance to the Government, and advise State institutions and civil society to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights. Tourists in Belize are often victims of theft, but few experience real violence. Media noted that family members often faced long delays or were unable to visit detainees. The country has one of the highest homicide rates in the world. Global AIDS Coordinator and Global Health Diplomacy, Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Special Representative for Syria Engagement, U.S. Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Office of the U.S. Health-care workers protested the lack of adequate protective equipment and delayed salary payments during the COVID-19 pandemic. 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. 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. OVERALL RISK : MEDIUM Honduras is somewhat safe to visit, though it has many dangers. Crisis in Honduras: Ongoing violence and climate shocks Here are three reasons the International Rescue Committee's Emergency Watchlist ranks Honduras among 20 countries most at risk of worsening humanitarian crisis in 2022. There were no credible reports of political prisoners or detainees. The reported killings took place during law enforcement operations or were linked to criminal activity by government agents. The law establishes an independent and impartial judiciary in civil matters, including access to a court to seek damages for human rights violations. 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. Libel/Slander Laws: Citizens, including public officials, may initiate criminal proceedings for libel and slander. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor, c. Prohibition of Child Labor and Minimum Age for Employment, d. Discrimination with Respect to Employment and Occupation. 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 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. Authorities did not generally segregate those with tuberculosis or other infectious diseases from the general prison population; as of September the National Prison Institute reported 106 prisoners had been treated for tuberculosis. The law provides for freedom of internal movement, foreign travel, emigration, and repatriation, and the government generally respected these rights. The law requires prisoners to work at least five hours a day, six days a week. The law criminalizes discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity characteristics and includes crimes committed against individuals because of their sexual orientation or gender identity as aggravating circumstances to increase penalties for criminal offenses. The report showed that property crime was up 6% and violent . 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. Honduras has the highest femicide rate in the Latin American region, with 6.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Travel to Honduras should be . You can add more than one country or area. According to UNICEF, 34 percent of women and 12 percent of men ages 20 to 24 married before age 18. 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. The release of the 2021 Safety Report is a reminder that even as aviation faces its deepest crisis, we are committed to making aviation even safer. The law states that a womans employment should be appropriate according to her physical state and capacity. The number of inspections increased significantly as the STSS resumed normal inspections, suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 23, the Public Ministry arrested and charged Josue Exequiel Martinez Martinez, Siriaco Mejia Santos, Francisco Lopez Lazo, and Mario Anibal Lopez Velasquez for the December 2020 murder of Felix Vasquez. Local police and emergency services lack sufficient resources to respond effectively to serious crime. The government of Honduras lacks sufficient resources to properly respond to, investigate and prosecute cases. The Directorate of Disciplinary Police Affairs investigated abuses by police forces. The government ended the curfew on October 1. See the methodology. An independent press and a functioning democratic political system combined to promote freedom of expression, including for members of the media. Regulations for implementing the law remained under development as of November. May Be Getting Away With It. The STSS is responsible for enforcing the national minimum wage, hours of work, and occupational health and safety law, but it did so inconsistently and ineffectively. There were reports that the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings. On October 7, the National Congress increased penalties for forced labor under the trafficking-in-persons article of the penal code from five to eight years imprisonment to 10 to 15 years, bringing the penalties in line with the penalties for other analogous serious crimes, such as kidnapping. More than four million Hondurans were affected by Eta and Iota, UN agencies stated in a situation report covering up to January 13, the eve of migrant caravan groups departing from the bus. Authorities generally respected these rights. The center, administered by the National Prison Institute, was on a military installation and received some support services from the military. The incident allegedly occurred in a place of employment. Contraception supplies continued to be limited. Sexual Exploitation of Children: The commercial sexual exploitation of children, especially in sex trafficking, remained a problem. There were different methodologies to measure the size of the informal economy, and a March 2020 UNDP report estimated that 82 percent of workers were part of the informal economy. Some NGOs reported irregularities, including late delivery of technology needed to transmit results, late opening of the polls, poll workers with varying degrees of preparation and knowledge of the electoral law and processes, and lack of transparency in campaign financing. World Bank statistics from 2020 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. Compared to other countries around the world, Honduras is still one of the most violent places in the world with a homicide rate of 44.7 per 100,000 in 2019. Children often worked alongside family members in agriculture and other work, such as fishing, construction, transportation, and small businesses. Most children who worked did so without STSS permits. Prisoners suffered from overcrowding, insufficient access to food and water, violence, and alleged abuse by prison officials. Violent gang activity, such as extortion, violent street crime, rape, and narcotics and human trafficking, is widespread. 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. The Murray family believes "someone knows something" about what happened to Maura Murray, who went missing in 2004. On July 25, media reported individuals shot and killed Liberal Party congressional candidate and former congresswoman Carolina Echeverria Haylock in Tegucigalpa. There have been frequent incidents of carjacking and highway robbery on a number of roads including the main highway (CA-5) between San Pedro Sula and Siguatepeque, with the greatest risk between Potrerillos and Pito Solo in the lake area. The government failed to control pervasive gang-related violence and criminal activity within the prisons. 03 / Select Countries You can add more than one country or area. Administrative penalties were insufficient to deter violations and were rarely enforced. Organized criminal 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. The law prohibits employment discrimination based on gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, political opinion or affiliation, marital status, race or ethnicity, national origin, language, place of residence, religion, family or economic situation, disability, or health. Official data on forced internal displacement, especially displacement due to violence, was limited in part because gangs controlled many of the neighborhoods that were sources of internal displacement (see section 6, Displaced Children). The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights reported that authorities at times failed to enforce these requirements effectively. Honduras. The National Interinstitutional Security Force coordinates the overlapping responsibilities of the national police, military police of public order, National Intelligence Directorate, and Public Ministry during interagency operations. As Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, I am proud to introduce Public Safety Canada's 2021-22 Departmental Plan, which highlights plans and priorities for the year ahead as we address the ongoing pandemic and other threats. According to government estimates, children with disabilities attended school at a lower rate than the general population. The legal age of consent is 18. Nevertheless, social discrimination against racial and ethnic groups persisted, as did physical violence. Anticorruption efforts remained an area of concern, as did the governments ability to protect justice-sector officials, such as prosecutors and judges. The law permits workers in public health care, social security, staple food production, and public utilities (municipal sanitation, water, electricity, and telecommunications) to strike if they continue to provide basic services. American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative CONTINUOUS ENFORCEMENT OF THE POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS IN OMORO COUNTY. January 26, 2022 At a glance Population: 10.1 million 2.8 million people in need of humanitarian aid Non-Government Organization Reports: Amnesty International: Human . Informal Sector: According to the STSS, approximately 75 percent of workers worked in the informal economy, equivalent to approximately 2.7 million persons. The safety situation in Honduras has been deteriorating in recent years due to gang violence and organized crime. Vasquez was the leader of the Union of Field Workers, a member of the Lenca community, an environmental activist, and a LIBRE Party candidate for Congress. The Public Ministrys Office of the Special Prosecutor for Human Rights handled cases involving charges of human rights abuses by government officials. He was arrested again in April for separate but related charges. 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