The 47 percent drop in homicides in Honduras between 2013 and 2017 has had a direct impact on the country’s impunity rate, which fell from 96 percent in 2013 to 87 percent in 2017, according to a June report on homicides and impunity published by the Association for a More Just Society (Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa – ASJ). Twenty-five journalists were murdered between 2014 and 2016 according to the human rights ombudsman, CONADEH, which also revealed in its 2016 report that 91 percent of killings of journalists since 2001 remain unpunished. On June 30, the former vice-president of the defunct Judiciary Council, Teodoro Bonilla, was found guilty of influence peddling. Click here to send InSight Crime your comments. Since the homicide rate peaked at 86.5 per 100,000 citizens in 2011, a steady downward trend saw this rate fall to just 43.6 in 2017 and then 40 per 100,000 citizens. Under the criminal code, abortion is illegal without any exceptions in Honduras, and women and girls who terminate pregnancies can face prison sentences of up to six years. Homophobic violence is a major problem in Honduras. According to UNICEF, a third of Honduran girls are married before 18. In the first six months of the year, nearly 120 Hondurans have been killed in at least 34 massacres — or one massacre every five days. Since the homicide rate peaked at 86.5 per 100,000 citizens in 2011, a steady downward trend saw this rate fall to just 43.6 in 2017 and then 40 per 100,000 citizens in 2018. Though official data show the homicide rate has fallen sharply, it continues to be a highly challenging environment in which to work. List of countries by homicide rate by decade per year per 100,000 inhabitants. For years, the Northern Triangle nation has been among the most violent countries in Latin America. The rate increased from 2008 to 2011, peaking at 89.0. If this year’s trend continues, authorities are on pace to potentially record nearly 70 massacres, almost double last year’s tally. For fiscal year 2017, the US Congress allotted US$95.3 million in bilateral aid to Honduras. The new legislation also defines as terrorist offenses any form of “illegal association” and acts “causing fear, putting in grave risk, or systematically and indiscriminately affecting the fundamental rights of the population or a part of it, the internal security of the State or the economic stability of the country.” These vague and unreasonably broad provisions could conceivably be used to bar peaceful protests and association meetings as terrorism. In the first six months of the year, nearly 120 Hondurans have been killed in. Unported License.See Privacy Policy, Investigation and Analysis of Organized Crime, The 47 percent drop in homicides in Honduras between 2013 and 2017 has had a direct impact on the country’s impunity rate, which fell from 96 percent in 2013 to 87 percent in 2017, according to a. on homicides and impunity published by the Association for a More Just Society (Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa – ASJ). It was here that I experienced the most tense moment of my time in Honduras, as I moved between police, soldiers, gang members, forensic experts, hearse drivers and pastors. Supporters of Salvador Nasralla, presidential candidate for the Opposition Alliance Against the Dictatorship, argue with military police during a protest to demand the official presidential election results, outside the warehouse of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal in Tegucigalpa, Honduras November 30, 2017. I explained that I was a journalist taking photographs of the event. To be sure, President Juan Orlando Hernández’s brother, former congressman Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernández, is alleged to have been a “large-scale drug trafficker.” Testimony he gave to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) also suggests that the president himself was likely aware of his brother’s alleged ties to the drug trade. We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, provided that it is attributed to InSight Crime in the byline, with a link to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial 3.0, Weekly InSight: Why Homicides Are Down in Honduras, 7 Keys to Understanding Honduras’ Declining Homicide Rate, Security Concerns Remain Despite Drop in Homicides in Honduras. Impunity for crime and human rights abuses is the norm. According to Honduran government figures, the homicide rate reached 86 per 100,000 people in 2011-2012. This year, the rate should end below 40 per 100,000, the security ministry says. The Mechanism for the Protection of Journalists, Human Rights Defenders and Operators of Justice, created in 2015, suffered from a lack of adequate resources and staffing, according to local activists. Journalists, environmental activists, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals are among those most vulnerable to violence. In May 2017, President Juan Orlando Hernández launched an initiative to revise the criminal code to allow children as young 12 to be prosecuted as adults, rather than through the existing juvenile justice system, in violation of international standards. The reliability of underlying national homicide rate data may vary. A former congressman who served in the National Congress under President Hernández before he became president in 2014 was indicted on drug charges last year. According to Honduran government figures, the homicide rate reached 86 per 100,000 people in 2011-2012. SEE ALSO: Extortion in Central America Special Investigation. Overall, the annual homicide rate in Honduras for 2008–2018 averaged 64.6 per 100 000 population . Valle had received repeated threats in the past. In January 2017, President Juan Orlando Hernández announced that the Special Commission for Police Reform Restructuring will extend its mandate until 2018. On May 5, 2017, the National Congress of Honduras voted against modifying the existing criminal code to allow abortion in cases of rape, grave fetal malformations and grave risks to the health of the woman. Homicide rate per 100,000 population in Finland in 2008 to 2018 Colombia: number of homicides 2019, by gender & age of victim Colombia: number of homicides 2019, by victim's vulnerability However, lethal violence isn’t the only way that criminal actors can terrorize the local population. What are your thoughts? What’s more, the recent arrests of local gang leaders in the country’s two largest cities appears to have had unforeseen consequences. That said, several other factors suggest that insecurity continues to be widespread. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. The most extensive database on organized crime in the Americas. Despite a downward trend in recent years, the murder rate remains among the highest in the world. The new bill replaces legislation that previously allowed for girls to marry at 16 with permission from family. Judges face interference from the executive branch and others, including private actors with connections in government. The Mission to Support the Fight against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH), established in 2016 through an agreement between the government and the Organization of American States (OAS), has successfully promoted the passage of legislation aimed at curbing illegal funding for political campaigns. Since the homicide rate peaked at 86.5 per 100,000 citizens in 2011, a steady downward trend saw this rate fall to just 43.6 in 2017 and then 40 per 100,000 citizens in 2018. In addition, there has been a shocking uptick in massacres (three or more murders) in 2019. were also implicated in laundering drug proceeds for the once-feared Cachiros, one of Honduras’ most notorious criminal organizations. In Honduras, the homicide rate is currently 43.6 per 100,000, meaning for every 100,000 of Honduras’ inhabitants, about 44 people will be murdered every year.With this statistic alone, it is easy to see Honduras has one of the highest homicide rates in the world. As I continued taking the photos, I felt increasingly uncomfortable. It was just one of many scenes I witnessed this year while on assignment in Honduras, where thousands of people sought to escape violence and poverty by joining a migrant caravan in hope of making it to safety across the Mexico-U.S. border. Declining impunity and homicide rates in Honduras are indeed a positive sign. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Authorities are working to combat the expansion of gang “cliques,” or cells, into at least 30 “historically peaceful” municipalities in the departments of Santa Bárbara, El Paraíso, Choluteca, Atlantida and Comayagua, where officials say gang members are increasingly engaging in petty drug dealing, extortion and hired killings, To be sure, President Juan Orlando Hernández’s brother, former congressman Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernández, is alleged to have been a “, .” Testimony he gave to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) also suggests that the, Outside of the Hernández family’s potentially dubious dealings, members of President Hernández’s administration have also been, outright criminal activity, in addition to a number of other, A former congressman who served in the National Congress under President Hernández before he became president in 2014 was. Homicide demographics are affected by changes in trauma care, leading to changed lethality of violent assaults, so the homicide rate may not necessarily indicate the overall level of societal violence. Throughout this period, the homicide rate remained substantially higher for … People Born with Atypical Sex Characteristics Battle For Informed Consent, The Case for the Right to a Healthy Environment. Indeed, while around 70 percent of the population in Honduras felt insecure in 2016, that number jumped to just under 90 percent in 2018 despite a gradual drop in homicides in recent years, according to a 2018 poll on citizen perceptions of insecurity and victimization from the Institute of Democracy, Peace and Security at Honduras’ National Autonomous University. Homicide Drop in El Salvador: Presidential Triumph or Gang Trend? But despite the reduction in the number of homicides and the positive impact this has had on impunity and prosecuting crime in Honduras, the report notes that a climate of insecurity and a lack of peace still persists. Violent crime is rampant in Honduras. Authorities are working to combat the expansion of gang “cliques,” or cells, into at least 30 “historically peaceful” municipalities in the departments of Santa Bárbara, El Paraíso, Choluteca, Atlantida and Comayagua, where officials say gang members are increasingly engaging in petty drug dealing, extortion and hired killings, La Tribuna reported. In 2018, the country recorded a total of 39 massacres. Inhumane conditions, including overcrowding, inadequate nutrition, and poor sanitation, are endemic to Honduran prisons. Most recently, journalist Carlos William Flores was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle in Cortes, near the Guatemalan border. What’s more, the recent arrests of local gang leaders in the country’s two largest cities appears to have had unforeseen consequences. However, lethal violence isn’t the only way that criminal actors can terrorize the local population. Finally, the tension eased when one of Blanco’s friends intervened, saying that the grieving family had authorized my presence. The law that remains in force also sanctions abortion providers and those who assist with procedures. Honduras Drop in Homicides One Part of Complex Security Situation, Investigation and Analysis of Organized Crime In 2018, the country recorded a total of 39 massacres. Designed to hold up to 8,000 inmates, the country’s penal institutions held more than 17,500 in 2016, the last year for which reliable figures were available. Several UN agencies working in Honduras have noted that sexual violence against LGBT individuals forces them into “internal displacement” or to flee the country in search of international protection.