“She was executed and they are trying to cover it up.”, “They cut off everything. Cinthia Soriano, 30, Kenneth, 2 (bottom right), Joseph, 5 (center), and Jennifer, 7 (left), from Villa Nueva Cortes, Honduras.

Embassy employees and others have experienced skimming at well-known restaurants, hotels, and retailers. They went on foot down the dark road north, about 1,500 people, pushing carry-on luggage, strollers, a shopping cart, carrying babies in their arms. Violent crime is rampant in Honduras. Like someone is always trying to kill you.”. Last Jan. 27, Norma Lilian Ávila Hernandez, a 29-year-old hair and makeup stylist, had an argument with her husband, Hugo Daniel Cruz Cabrera, 38, over her wearing makeup. From 2018 through January 2019, there were eight murder cases involving U.S. citizen victims. Counterfeit Honduran lempiras (currency) are common, especially in the 100 and 500 denominations. There are few U.S.-educated physicians in Tegucigalpa. Mr. Amilcar, who had swung his machete into his wife’s legs 10 times, was charged with inflicting “light lesions,” carrying a sentence of 15 years. Gangs control some of the taxi services. Honduras decided in late 2018, based on reciprocity, to institute the same reporting requirement. She ran into her husband, drunk. Please contact OSAC’s Western Hemisphere team with any questions or to join. Women tell me some of their responses: You like getting hit, don’t you? Counterfeit products are predominately in, but are not limited to the pharmaceutical and apparel industries. If traffic signals are working, drivers often ignore them. Armed robberies, home invasions, and extortions occur; closely guarded officials, businesspersons, and diplomats are not immune from these attacks. The number of women who have “disappeared” continues to rise. Some commentators have strongly criticized the Roman Catholic Church and evangelical churches for alleged involvement in politics. She got into organizing after a Belgian labor rights organizer she washed clothes for suggested she attend a women’s meeting in the capitol. Mr. Garcia, who did not respond to a request for comment, has been reassigned to an administrative post pending an investigation into the death, said a spokesman for the Public Ministry in San Pedro Sula. Federica Valabrega is a documentary photographer based between Brooklyn, N.Y., and Rome. Most major cities (e.g. During 2018, there was one case involving the kidnapping of a U.S. dual national reported to the police. In 2018, the police report a 30% reduction in the numbers of murders related to land disputes because of interagency task force efforts. We incorporated that ideal into international treaties and our own immigration laws. Then they began training other women — about self-esteem, sex education and the cycle of domestic violence (he hits you, he brings roses, he hits you). Travelers should be aware, however, that the assistance the Embassy can provide is limited to making sure U.S. citizens are not treated differently from local detainees, and providing them with a list of local attorneys. The victim, an active MS-13 member, appeared in the San Pedro Sula airport following his release. Nicaragua used to be part of the CA-4 agreement, but in late 2017 began requiring travelers to register their travel purpose and destination online seven days in advance. Counterfeit products are predominately in, but are not limited to the pharmaceutical and apparel industries. Reports of kidnappings of U.S. citizens are not common. Sometimes the deaths have nothing to do with the gangs.

The morgue leaders announced that month that Ms. Hernández had been murdered. Embassy employees and others have experienced skimming at well-known restaurants, hotels, and retailers. Discrimination occurs against ethnic minorities and the LGBTI community. It sends a message — to other women, to rival men — that the killer is all powerful and never to be trifled with.

“We are the authorities to stop domestic violence! Of 783 killings of women in Cortés between 2013 and 2018, prosecutors here say that just 17 percent have begun a court process and an estimated 12 percent will get a verdict — statistics they trot out as an improvement. Counterfeit medicines are mainly found in. Overseas Security Advisory Council The police generally treat detained foreigners well. Animals and people wander onto the roads at all hours. (Right) Margarita Alberto Escobar, 39, sits with her children Dallana Michelle, 10, and Allan José Vargas, 12.

Two years ago, a Choloma police officer who was also working as a sicario killed a 20-year-old woman who had refused a narco’s advances. The rainy season usually runs May-November. Traffic signs, even on major highways, are often inadequate; streets in major cities are often unmarked. Eventually Ms. Ramirez moved out and rented her own room nearby, but one night, on Oct. 30, 2016, she returned to find her husband waiting. Only after their oldest daughter visited him in jail, and heard him vow, “When I get out I’m going to kill her,” did a judge add attempted femicide charges and tack on 20 more years. U.S. Embassy Location and Contact Information, U.S. Embassy Tegucigalpa, Avenida La Paz, Tegucigalpa, Hours of Operation: Monday-Thursday, 0730-1630; Friday, 0800-1500, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/embajadahonduras/, Nearby Post: Consular Agency San Pedro Sula. How, she asked, can the leaders of an agency entrusted with investigating women’s deaths be killing women themselves? Federica Valabrega This latest announcement comes on top of moves by the Trump administration to bar victims of domestic violence from applying for asylum. My daughter could not witness that," she said. Although four MS-13 members were arrested, the suspected ringleader of the crime remains at large. Passengers on public buses have been the victims of robbery at roadblocks and bus stops, during daytime and nighttime hours. So they killed her.”. "He would always mess my life up, making demands and threatening me if I would not give back the photos I would take of myself all bruised up after his beatings," Arita said. Those traveling with tour/missionary groups report fewer criminal incidents. According to people involved in the case, at some point Ms. Hernández seems to have come to believe that instead of working to take down MS-13, the nation’s largest gang, her lover was married to the sister of an MS-13 leader, and was aiding the criminals. Of the 115 women killed in Choloma between 2013 and Oct. 2018, half were 20 or younger, according to the Violence Observatory. Uniforms and vehicles are all clearly marked. Jehovah’s Witnesses have reported denial of medical treatment at some government hospitals after requesting treatment in accordance with their religious beliefs. But there was no gun residue on her hand. Ms. Velásquez marched through the streets with a bullhorn: “We want to notify women that if your husband is hitting you, come put in a report.”.

Health insurance is an important consideration. However, there can be communal tension over land ownership, natural resource allocation, and exploitation. This results in armed confrontations where innocent bystanders are injured or killed in the crossfire. Dial 911 for emergency or call (504) 2232-4092. Nicaragua used to be part of the CA-4 agreement, but in late 2017 began requiring travelers to register their travel purpose and destination online seven days in advance. Nine in 10 murders of women never go to court or result in a sentence. Everyone in Choloma knows about the woman. There is considerable risk from civil unrest in Tegucigalpa. ATIC officials went alone and pronounced the death a suicide. But the truth, as I saw so clearly over a monthlong reporting trip in Honduras, is that migrants are fleeing a society controlled by criminals. Even as an outsider visiting Choloma for two weeks, I came to understand that deeply.

Virginia Marta Velásquez, a mother of nine, founded the women’s group in 1992. Starting in the 1980s it became a hub for tax-free industrial parks where American, Canadian and Korean textile factories produced products for Hanes, Fruit of the Loom, Nike and Adidas. Criminals sometimes obtain personal information through social media, the internet, or a victim’s family member.

Armed robberies, home invasions, and extortions occur; closely guarded officials, businesspersons, and diplomats are not immune from these attacks. Passing on blind corners is common. Men, of course, still make up a vast majority of murder victims, largely because they are more likely to be involved in gang conflicts or targeted for recruitment. The Trump administration has tried to make it tougher for asylum-seekers escaping domestic or gang violence to gain protected status, although it has met challenges in federal court. Traffic signs, even on major highways, are often inadequate; streets in major cities are often unmarked. There is often a spike in skimming in December and June, when the working population receive Christmas and mid-year bonuses in the form of one extra month’s salary. It helps women fill out forms to take to the police or courts asking for an arrest or temporary restraining order. Penalties for the possession, use, or trafficking of illegal narcotics are strict; convicted offenders can expect lengthy jail sentences and fines. "He wanted to burn my face, but my daughter started screaming when she saw him taking the pan with boiling butter. "I did this thinking if and when I would ask for asylum in the U.S., I will show them the photos." There is street crime even in safer neighborhoods, commonly referred to as. “My dad took off her feet,” Nadia Mabel told me, nervously. The bus company now pays the tax. After the war, the United States declared “never again” and became a leader in the modern-day refugee movement. Domestic violence laws, which didn’t exist here until 1997, also remain weak.

One torso was missing. Zoila Lagos, one of the group’s founders, now runs another women’s organization in a nearby neighborhood.

The United States cannot erect a wall and expect women to resign themselves to stay put in Honduras and be slaughtered. Due to the remote nature of these areas, the government’s ability to respond to violence or other problems is often very limited, as is access to medical facilities. They are from San Pedro Sula, Honduras. On March 29 he announced he was halting aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador — about $450 million a year that we now spend on strengthening civil society and chipping away at the power of gangs and drug cartels. Due to the lack of enforcement of traffic laws, make an extraordinary effort to drive defensively. As a result, there is no longer free travel between Honduras and Nicaragua, After court-ordered forceful eviction operation in Bajo Aguan in August 2018, police and military clashed with the. In October 2018, a thief stole the mobile phone, personal documents, and a backpack of a USAID implementing partner. The Pan American Convention (1917), to which Honduras is a party, protects “notorious" or well-known trademarks.