How women filmmakers are flipping the script in Honduras

by Kurt Johnson

Several Honduran women said that if these burdens had been freely chosen rather than thrust on them, they might feel more empowered. Notably, more research needs to be done on the topic of the political impacts on women after the men migrate from Honduras. In the 2008 Global Gender Gap Index, Honduras was ranked 21st out of 74 countries on their general index value. Pulled reed about honduran women reed about https://toplatinwomen.com/dating-latina/honduran-women/ from the same data but for the economic participation, in the opportunity sub-index they were ranked 47th. That is a change of 26 spots when talking about general-well being versus economic inclusion. This is yet another indicator that gender inequality is lower in economic dimensions of society.

  • They are preferred to stay home, work as homemakers, and become dependent on their dominant husbands.
  • In Honduras, the rate of femicide, is rated in 6th out of 111 countries according to a study done in 2011.
  • When people in Honduras do report these crimes, them and their families are often subjected to further gang violence, which the police and government are largely powerless to prevent.
  • “It is urgent to pass the law on safe houses where women who manage to get away from violent situations are taken care of”.
  • As the index value moved closer to 0 by 0.032, this indicates that the country is indeed making improvements, although small, toward gender equality.

Individual shipments of cocaine usually carried hundreds of, and sometimes more than a thousand, kilograms of cocaine. After receiving a shipment of cocaine, Los Montes worked with other drug traffickers to transport the cocaine inland through Honduras into Guatemala and, eventually, Mexico, where the cocaine would then be imported into, and distributed within, the United States. One year after the historic election of Honduras’ first female president, there are signs of progress. • Almost all (93%) women aged 15–19 believe that if a woman’s husband has an STI, she is justified in asking him to use a condom.

In contrast, almost all young men transitioned from school into work by age 18. The act of dropping out is alarming, because once a woman becomes a NEET, it is difficult to later reintegrate into school or work . Women who are out of the labor force miss out on the skill enhancement that comes from working.

Although Honduras has reduced its homicide rate by half since 2011, it remains one of the world’s highest, with 44.8 murders per 100,000 population in 2019. From 2015 through 2019, authorities arrested 4,196 gang members, the National Police reported. Marred by corruption and abuse, the judiciary and police remain largely ineffective. Support and resources from a four-year Organization of American States mission to strengthen the fight against corruption and impunity, concluded in January 2020, have not produced lasting reforms. The UNSDG guides, supports, tracks and oversees the coordination of development operations in 162 countries and territories. In Honduras, the United Nations is committed to continue working together with a wide range of sectors of the country in achieving a more just and equitable society, where it isn’t dangerous to be a woman. As a result of this study, UN Women will be organizing trainings for media outlets on objective and respectful journalism in these types of subjects.

Reports

These data suggest a close association between infection with HPV 16 and HPV 18 and cervical cancer in Honduras. Work With UsIf you are talented and passionate about human rights then Amnesty International wants to hear from you. Lorena, a 30-year-old transgender woman who had been a sex worker in Honduras, says she left because of widespread homophobia that translated into constant violence from police and clients. During most of my study and work experiences Honduras and abroad, I have usually been the youngest person and the only woman in the classroom or important meeting. In this region of the world, working for development means attending meetings in which topics such as poverty, inequality, globalization and bridging the gender gap are addressed. The narrative is usually dominated by white privileged men, hence it can be arguably questioned and even considered hypocritical, as it is purely symbolic. Having these experiences can be either highly discouraging or deeply motivating.

Meanwhile, activists report that despite the legislative victory, the ZEDEs continue to operate and expand on the ground. In these zones and elsewhere in the country, private actors still threaten the lives and safety of people defending land rights, as UUSC and other organizations have documented. For all President Castro’s promises of change, therefore, her administration has not eliminated the dangers that Honduran human rights defenders face throughout the country. • The Honduran government signed the Ministerial Declaration of Preventing through Education in 2010 and, thereby, committed itself to work toward ensuring the sexual and reproductive health and rights of all young people. One of the declaration’s goals is to reduce the number of schools that do not provide comprehensive sexuality education by 75%. In Honduras, the rate of femicide, is rated in 6th out of 111 countries according to a study done in 2011. During the autopsies, it is often discovered that rape has occurred before the victim’s death.

Just a few days before she was set to leave for the competition, Alvarado and her sister, 23-year-old Sofia Trinidad, were brutally murdered. Their bodies were hidden in shallow graves in a riverbank in Santa Barbara, Honduras, discovered after a week-long manhunt that made international headlines. Their joint funeral was broadcast around the world and attended by thousands. In 2014, a 19-year-old small town girl named Maria Jose Alvarado catapulted onto the world stage when her brilliant smile and sweet personality won her the Miss Honduras crown. With a freshly minted passport, she was set to compete for the prestigious Miss World title in London, a trip which would be the first plane ride of her life.

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Judges face interference—including political pressure, threats, and harassment—from the executive branch, private actors with connections to government, and gangs. The Supreme Court, particularly its president, exerts excessive control over the appointment and removal of judges, and career instability limits judges’ independence. In its 2016 review of Honduras, the CEDAW Committee urged the government to decriminalize abortion, noting that the ban caused women and girls to seek unsafe abortions and increased maternal mortality.

Early last month, Castro’s health minister announced that emergency contraception would soon become available in cases of rape, but this small—if significant—concession falls far short of full protection for reproductive health care in Honduras. Undoubtedly, many forces – including political parties – will continue to act to dissuade women’s participation in public, private and civil society spaces. Most citizens do not seem to care that women are systematically excluded from decision-making because it is so engrained in the culture. That is why changing the legal framework is a crucial first step but with a male-dominated Congress, there has been no political will to pass a draft bill that aims to combat violence against women in politics. The main limitation commonly encountered with an issue as complex as gender-based violence is that when discussed, it is purely symbolic in leaders’ speeches. Words need to be materialized and policies institutionalized to combat it and include it in different agendas.

I am always getting catcalled by drivers who yell things through their window, many of them sexual, vulgar and in bad taste. In some way I think they feel superior to me and that they have the right to tell me what they want. “My dream is to get to the other side and be able to bring my children and have a better life, above all so that they can study in peace,” she says. Although more difficult times lie ahead as the caravan weaves its way through northern Mexico, where temperatures are more extreme, infrastructure more sparse and organized crime more prevalent, most members of the caravan are undeterred. The support that Nava and her colleagues can offer fleeting visitors is limited, and she is particularly concerned by what she describes as the “dehumanization” of those traveling in the caravan. Now, Claudia says her priority is finding a safe place where her children can go to school. As Amnesty International documented last year, the extortions or “war taxes” that maras demand from businesses are commonplace in Central America, but refusing to comply puts one’s life at risk.

Additional work comes in the form of the jobs their male family members used to take care of before they migrated. Some Honduran women must not only care for the children and their home, but also tackle additional tasks such as farming and other agricultural jobs. There are economic, social, and emotional impacts on the women left behind in Honduras as their male family members, such as brothers, husbands, fathers, and sons, migrate to countries such as the United States in order to earn money for their families. These migrations especially affect women who become the head of the household after their family member leaves. Personal interviews and anecdotal evidence reveal that women suffer from significant emotional distress as their loved ones embark on often dangerous journeys.

In 2020,278 women were murdered in the countryand, as of November 2021, more than 240 women have lost their lives violently. “We are in ways losing hope,” said Regina Fonseca, an activist for women’s rights in Honduras. Fear is an ever-present reality of life for so many women here, yet the Honduran government fails to provide shelters or safe houses. Help us combat the proliferation of sexual exploitation crimes against children. • Since 1997, all abortions have been illegal, including those needed to save the life of the pregnant woman.