Honduras: A Government Failing to Protect its People
Since a 2009 military coup, Honduras' murder rate has soared to one of the highest in the world. Its citizens have fled in droves to escape the rising threat of gangs and rampant poverty. The White House just announced it would be asking Congress to triple assistance to Central America, putting $1 billion with the intended aim of addressing the core issues that drove a wave of migration this past year.
In December 2014 the Latin America Working Group Education Fund (LAWGEF) and Center for International Policy (CIP) traveled to Honduras to investigate how the country is responding to the needs of its citizens. What we found was a security apparatus and criminal justice system in desperate need of reform and a population with little faith in its government. Issues of violence, impunity, and corruption that have plagued the country for years are intensifying.
Over the next seven days, we will be publishing a series of posts that provide a picture of the current state of Honduras' security and human rights situation:
Deported Back to Limbo: the Forced Exodus from Mexico
Honduras’ Military: On the Streets and in the Government
The Key to Everything: Investigations and Justice in Honduras
San Pedro Sula: Nearly a War Zone
The Law of Secrets: What the Honduran Government Doesn’t Want People to Know
Can U.S. Aid Help Address the Perfect Storm in Honduras?