The Reasons Why People Are Leaving Honduras

Currently, two-thirds of Hondurans live in poverty. This is because people can’t afford to feed or shelter their families because of what is happening in Honduras. Also some gangs kidnapped the older president’s son of Honduras. There are many people leaving Honduras because they are being attacked by gangs and they are living in poverty.

About the Nation

The country of Honduras is in Central America. Some countries and seas/oceans that border it are El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, the Caribbean Sea, and the Pacific Ocean. The climate in Honduras is tropical, with a dry season in winter and a rainy season in summer. There are not four seasons in Honduras and there are many mountains in the country. The word Honduras means “depths” in Spanish. President Juan Orlando Hernandez Alvarado is currently in power. The president gets four years and then they elect another president. The population in Honduras is about 9,182,766. They speak Spanish in this country. Some religions that are followed in Honduras are Roman Catholic 46%, Protestant 41%, atheist 1%, other 2%, and none 9%. Some traditions in Honduras are Semana Santa, Punta Gorda festival, Feria de San Isidro, Feria Juniana, and the National Garifuna Festival. The schools there are free and everyone goes to primary schools, but only 1/4th fourth of the people over 15 will get a higher education. Honduras is the country with the highest murder rate in the world.

Conflicts & Challenges

Honduras is in turmoil. The kind of turmoil is political. Honduras is in turmoil because of speech and attack. When the president gave new laws to the people, they didn’t like them, which is one of the reasons why they have fled. An interesting fact about it is Honduras’s president’s brother was found guilty of drug trafficking. Also, gang violence is happening because crime does not get punished, it is a way to get money, and drugs pass through the country. People in Honduras have fled because their country is very poor. Two-thirds of Honduras is in poverty and 1 in 5 are in extreme poverty. More and more jobs are shrinking so there are less job opportunities.

Refugee Experience

The refugees from Honduras are mostly going to the United States (Miami, New York, and Los Angeles). They travel by foot to get to the United States. There are many refugees in the refugee camps in Mexico. An interesting fact about their experience is that women refugees can be threatened when they try to cross to America. When they get to the United States they can not find jobs to provide for their families, but families in America do welcome them sometimes. Also when they get there they go to state-run schools. President Trump is not letting refugees come in to the country. 80% of the people who leave Honduras are refugees. 43% of those refugees are children. Also, 10% of the 30 million citizens are fleeing Honduras. Lastly, 702,000 people from Honduras live in the U. S. as of 2011, but it is increasing.

Moving Forwards

Honduras’s crisis is an ongoing crisis. 2% of the people in Honduras do not know where to go. 3% want to return to where they came from. 21% want to move somewhere else in Honduras. 29% want to move to another country. 46% want to stay in Honduras. There are few reasons why they want to leave. 8% want to leave for education and health reasons. 9% want to leave because it is there only option. 24% want to leave for work reasons. 31% want to leave for family reasons. 45% want to leave for better living conditions. 50% want to leave for security and peacefulness. The people who live there want to change the laws that the president has made. People have recommended to help the people in displacement. There was some framework done by the Government of Honduras. The framework was done to help refugees, to protect them when they come back, and to help them when they are in their new country.

Conclusion

In conclusion, attacks by gangs and poverty are forcing people in Honduras to flee. The schools there are free and everyone goes to primary schools, but only 1 fourth of the people over 15 will get higher education. More and more jobs are shrinking so there are less jobs opportunities. Women refugees can be threatened when they try to cross to America. People in Honduras want to change the law that the president made and there is a government framework to help the refugees at home and abroad. We are all hoping that the Hondurans can go back to Honduras and live a normal life like they used to.