ICRC: Violence continues to have “serious humanitarian consequences” in Honduras

Tegucigalpa, 24 Mar Violence in Honduras continues to cause “serious humanitarian consequences”, such as internal displacement, migration and enforced disappearance, a scourge that requires a structural approach and long-term investment, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Thursday. “Unfortunately, violence has normalized in the country and what we see is that it does not stop, it continues to generate humanitarian consequences such as internal displacement and migration,” said the head of the ICRC delegation in Honduras, Karim Khallaayoun, today in an interview with Efe via Zoom. He noted that the homicide rate in Honduras has fallen in the last decade, but violence “remains widespread, affects many people and vulnerable groups, such as youth and children, and causes a lot of humanitarian impact.” The ICRC's 2022 balance sheet, released today, points out that the “serious humanitarian consequences” caused by violence “undermine the present and future” of thousands of people in the Central American country, which in 2021 recorded a rate of 38.63 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. The State of Honduras is “obliged” to care for victims of violence and inequality, said the Canadian, who said that the ICRC has worked with the Honduran authorities to strengthen their care capacities. “There are structural causes of this violence that need long-term investment by the authorities, civil society and the international community,” he added. MIGRATION REQUIRES STRUCTURAL SOLUTIONS Migration is a multi-causal phenomenon, but the widespread violence suffered by people in their communities, the socio-economic impact generated by the covid-19 pandemic and disasters caused by natural phenomena are the main factors that fuel it, the international organization added. Khallaayoun believes that migration requires “long-term and structural solutions” in Honduras, where the ICRC is promoting the adoption of two laws aimed at protecting people displaced by violence and regulating the use of force. According to figures from the Consular and Migration Observatory of Honduras, a total of 14,610 Hondurans were returned to their country between January and February 2022, which is 107.9% more than the 7,028 deported in the same period in 2021. CLIMATE CHANGE TRIPLES VULNERABILITY The covid-19 pandemic has decimated the livelihoods of millions of already vulnerable families and has caused “serious social and economic consequences,” the ICRC said. Hurricanes Eta and Iota, which hit Central America in 2020, also caused “new humanitarian consequences and, with them, double and triple vulnerabilities”, and the ICRC sees a need to make communities affected by poverty and violence more resilient. The Canadian said that the two years of the pandemic have been “very hard” and that during that time the ICRC had “great difficulty” in maintaining contact with victims of violence and forced internal displacement, because there was “fear” of the disease. “The issue of migration is cyclical, we see ups and downs in the migration flow, as humans have migrated since the beginning of history, so migration is not going to stop, it will continue and it will continue to be a phenomenon not only for Honduras but for the rest of the world,” he explained. HUMANITARIAN NEEDS HAVE WORSENED In Honduras, there is “a worsening of humanitarian needs” due to the socio-economic crisis caused by the pandemic and the effects of Eta and Iota, stressed the head of the ICRC mission, an organization that is now commemorating ten years of humanitarian presence in the country. “We see many challenges, the most vulnerable people are the ones we serve and with limited capacities we cannot provide all the necessary care (...) we can accompany the authorities, but it is the duty and responsibility of the Government to find solutions and provide assistance and protection to those affected by violence,” highlighted. The Canadian said that the ICRC is “very optimistic” about the future of its work in Honduras under the leadership of President Xiomara Castro, and “welcomes the openness” of the authorities to dialogue and find “durable solutions” to care for vulnerable people.