In most prisons, only inmates who purchased bottled water or had water filters in their cells had access to potable water. Meanwhile, 59% reported having been assaulted at least once while a passenger in a taxi (. ) Improvements: On March 10, the armed forces officially transferred control of the National Prison Institute to the National Police as part of a government initiative to demilitarize prisons. NGOs also reported the government did not make sufficient efforts to comply with Inter-American Court of Human Rights rulings, specifically cases related to territorial rights for Garfuna communities. LGBTI+ travelers should exercise caution, especially when expressing affection in public. Review OSACs report, Security In Transit: Airplanes, Public Transport, and Overnights. A significant percentage of vehicles are in disrepair, underpowered, beyond their lifecycle, and would not meet U.S. road safety standards. Both the Secretariat of Labor and the courts may order a company to reinstate workers, but the secretariat lacked the personnel and transportation resources to verify compliance. Libel/Slander Laws: Citizens, including public officials, may initiate criminal proceedings for libel and slander. Those planning travel to Gracias a Dios should consider postponing their travel. This resulted in multiple protests by environmentalist groups claiming the project is illegal due to the damage to the bioreserve and exacerbating the citys already dire water shortage. Violators face penalties of one to three years in prison and possible suspension of their professional licenses, but the government did not effectively enforce the law. Bureau of Diplomatic Security OSAC 2022-N-0025, Standard for Initial Response at Scenes by Scene Investigators. 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. In the security and domestic service sectors, workers were frequently forced to work more than 60 hours per week but paid only for 44 hours. By law, the secretariat may fine companies that violate the right to freedom of association. In April 2019, one or more individuals attempted a surreptitious breach of perimeter fencing at a U.S. Embassy residence. Victims were primarily impoverished individuals in both rural and urban areas (see section 7.c.). Individuals and organizations may appeal adverse domestic decisions to the Inter-American Human Rights system. Abusers caught in the act may be detained for up to 24 hours as a preventive measure. Contact OSACs, https://www.facebook.com/embajadahonduras/, https://hn.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/spsca/, External links to other internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein, Travel Advisory: Honduras - Level 3 (Reconsider Travel), Central America Natural Disaster Emergency Planning: OSAC Guidance and Resources. January to December 2019, Secretariat of Security Honduran National Police. Journalists and other members of civil society reported they were self-censoring due to fear of criticism, harassment, and retribution by the government and its supporters. , which requires free prior notice and informed consent from indigenous communities before any development projects can begin; the congress has not approved a law regulating this process. Congressional Research Service - Honduras - 2019, 2020. Penalties for the possession, use, or trafficking of illegal narcotics are strict; convicted offenders can expect lengthy jail sentences and fines. LGBTI+ travelers should exercise caution, especially when expressing affection in public. On June 20, the National Tribunal Court sentenced Roberto David Castillo Meja to more than 22 years in prison for his role as one of the alleged coauthors of her murder. OSAC encourages travelers to use this report to gain baseline knowledge of security conditions in Honduras. While the risk from crime in Honduras remains a concern, most U.S. citizens visiting or residing in Honduras are unaffected by violence and visit for tourism or humanitarian aid work without incident. Reports of kidnappings of U.S. citizens are not common, with zero reports for 2019. On April 28, the National Congress repealed the 2014 hourly wage law, thus bringing all employees under the national labor code and eliminating the previous differences in labor benefits between hourly, temporary, and permanent employees. Penalties for violations of OSH law were commensurate with penalties for similar crimes but rarely applied against violators and rarely collected. Review OSACs report, Understanding the Consular Travel Advisory System. Indigenous and ethnic minority communities are frequently located in rural areas, which enjoy lower levels of criminal activity. Land title procedures have been an issue leading to investment disputes involving U.S. nationals who are landowners. Tasked with securing diplomacy and protecting the integrity of U.S. travel documents, the Diplomatic Security Service has the largest global reach of any U.S. federal law enforcement agency, with offices in 29 U.S. cities and in more than 270 locations around the world. Find contact information for available medical services and available air ambulance services on the U.S. Embassy/Consulate, Travelers are responsible for ensuring that they have adequate health coverage while in Honduras. The 18th Street and MS-13 (. ) Violence and Harassment: On May 26, unknown assailants shot and killed Metro TV journalist Ricardo vila in Marcovia, Choluteca Department. Gracias a Diosis a remote location where narcotics trafficking is frequent, infrastructure is weak, government services are limited, and police/military presence is scarce. Most demonstrations were concentrated in or around city centers, public buildings, and other public areas. Discrimination: 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. Following anticorruption protests in 2015, President Hernandez signed an agreement with the Organization of American States to form the Mission Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH). drivers licenses, vehicle registration). otherwise distributing OSAC-derived information in a manner inconsistent with this policy may result in the discontinuation of OSAC support. Before you travel, consider the following resources: The contents of this (U) report in no way represent the policies, views, or attitudes of the United States Department of State, The Secretariat of Labor may levy a fine against companies that fail to pay social security obligations, but the amount was not sufficient to deter violations. OSAC is a free service to U.S.-based or incorporated private sector organizations with overseas operations. These crimes may have been the result of tips from sources surveilling the airport arrival area. Office of the Special Envoy for Critical and Emerging Technology, Office of the U.S. Country Summary: Violent crime, such as homicide, armed robbery, and kidnapping, is common. Local police and emergency services lack sufficient resources to respond effectively to serious crime. Title insurance is not widely available in Honduras and approximately 80% of the privately held land in the country is either untitled or improperly titled. 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. However, there can be communal tension over land ownership, natural resource allocation, and exploitation. -threat location for terrorism directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests. Review OSACs report, If you or someone you know becomes the victim of a crime, contact the local police and U.S. Embassy Tegucigalpa. Since 2010, 42. The legal age of consent is 18. The Honduras Country Council generally meets monthly on a rotating basis in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula and has approximately 70 members. In some industries, including agriculture, domestic service, and security, employers did not respect maternity rights or pay minimum wage, overtime, or vacation. Campbell, who had been on the run for five years after being charged with money laundering in Honduras, was arrested in June 2021 in Nicaragua. Failure to register resulted in denial of public services, including access to health services or school enrollment. Most women in the workforce engaged in lower-status and lower-paying informal occupations, such as domestic service, without the benefit of legal protections. The country was a destination for child sex tourism, particularly in the tourist area of the Bay Islands. Major cities (e.g. No cases were reported during the year. at the date of this reports publication assesses Honduras at Level 3, indicating travelers should reconsider travel due tocrime. Violence linked to land disputes also occurs, particularly in the Bay Islands and Bajo Aguan Valley in northern Honduras. 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. Many prisons lacked sufficient security personnel. Overseas Security Advisory Council On July 4, alleged members of the 18th Street gang killed six fellow gang members at the El Pozo maximum security prison in Ilama, Santa Brbara Department. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Honduras. Criminal groups, such as drug traffickers and local and transnational gangs including MS-13 and the 18th Street gang, committed killings, extortion, kidnappings, human trafficking, and intimidation of police, prosecutors, journalists, women, human rights defenders, and others. Civil society organizations criticized the governments failure to investigate threats adequately. The OSAC information exchange mechanism also . Red Cross ambulance: 911, (504) 2227-7474 or (504) 2227-7575. 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 government prosecuted some officials who committed human rights abuses or engaged in corruption, but a weak judicial system and corruption were major obstacles to obtaining convictions. Transgender women were particularly vulnerable to employment and education discrimination; many could find employment only as sex workers, increasing their vulnerability to violence and extortion. Children, including from Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, particularly Miskito boys, were at risk for forced labor in the agriculture, manufacturing, fishing, mining, construction, and hospitality industries. Latest Posts. Honduras is a signatory to the International Labor Organizations 169 Convention, which requires free prior notice and informed consent from indigenous communities before any development projects can begin; the congress has not approved a law regulating this process. Counterfeit products are predominately but not solely in the pharmaceutical and apparel industries. The law prohibits workers from legally striking until direct negotiations and government-accompanied mediation and conciliation have failed. ET on January 31, 2022. Review OSACs report, Surviving a Protest. The government noted the decree was to better organize its own public relations efforts and was not intended to monitor or control content. The final verdict was pending a constitutional appeal. Honduras lacks the infrastructure to maintain water purity and food safety. Central Intelligence Agency - The World Factbook - Honduras. While many protests remain relatively peaceful, demonstrations can escalate into violent confrontations with the police resulting in destruction to public and private property.