Honduras is facing an invisible crisis. In 2023 it was the least funded in the world. Almost 30 per cent of its population is in need of humanitarian aid and an increased number of Hondurans are forced to move and seek refuge outside the country’s borders.
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What is happening in Honduras?
Meanwhile, Honduras also continues to host a high number of people seeking asylum within the country or elsewhere in the region.
Here are four things you should know about the crisis in Honduras.
1. Widespread violence threatens the population
Extortion, forced recruitment, sexual violence, threats and abuse are some of the reasons that force many Hondurans to leave their communities or seek refuge outside their country. Maras, gangs and organised crime are a permanent threat to a large part of the population and are a real obstacle for leading a normal life and even moving freely through the territory.
Although homicides have been reduced in recent years, last year the rate was 31 per 100,000 people. Or 253 homicides per month on average.
Women and young people are especially vulnerable. In 2023, 380 were murdered: more than one per day. Of the total number of victims 38 per cent were young people between 18 and 30 years old. "I would like to live normally and in peace," one internally displaced woman told the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
Meanwhile, Honduras also continues to host a high number of people seeking asylum within the country or elsewhere in the region.
Here are four things you should know about the crisis in Honduras.
1. Widespread violence threatens the population
Extortion, forced recruitment, sexual violence, threats and abuse are some of the reasons that force many Hondurans to leave their communities or seek refuge outside their country. Maras, gangs and organised crime are a permanent threat to a large part of the population and are a real obstacle for leading a normal life and even moving freely through the territory.
Although homicides have been reduced in recent years, last year the rate was 31 per 100,000 people. Or 253 homicides per month on average.
Women and young people are especially vulnerable. In 2023, 380 were murdered: more than one per day. Of the total number of victims 38 per cent were young people between 18 and 30 years old. "I would like to live normally and in peace," one internally displaced woman told the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
We support refugees and displaced people in 40 countries around the world.
2. Thousands of migrants must pass through Honduras on their way to the United States
Due to its geographic location, Honduras is a transit country for thousands of people traveling to the United States, many of them in highly vulnerable conditions and in need of protection.
In the third quarter of 2023, an average of more than 6,000 people per day entered Honduras’s borders. That year, more than 506,000 people of 110 different nationalities entered Honduras with an irregular status, straining national systems and the resources of humanitarian organisations.
3. Droughts and hurricanes are an additional threat
Honduras is highly vulnerable to climatic events that each year cause floods, droughts and landslides, destruction of crops, homes, and public roads, affecting the poorest populations the most.
It’s estimated that over one million people live in at-risk areas and that climate change will affect many more in the short term, also due to the increase of vector-borne diseases like dengue fever.
4. Poverty, inequality and food insecurity
Sixty per cent of the Honduran population lives on less than USD 5.5 a day, a poverty rate that is only surpassed in the region by Haiti. In addition, more than 2 million people are considered to be in food crisis. Inequality and poverty are historical and structural, and affect women and children the most.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has been working in Honduras since 2014, meeting the needs of tens of thousands of people affected by violence and natural disasters. We assist those who are internally displaced, people who are in need of international protection, deported people, and their hosts. We do this through our protection from violence programming, counseling and legal assistance, emergency education, and livelihoods and shelter programmes.
People who receive timely support can rebuild their lives and see themselves as masters of their future. “Today I do have dreams, I do have goals, to work towards and get ahead," said a woman, displaced by violence, after receiving emergency assistance and support from NRC while recovering.