Honduras: Escaping violence and poverty

Every year, tens of thousands of people from the central American nation of Honduras leave their home country to try and reach the United States. A dangerous journey that often ends in death. The refugees are escaping poverty, gang violence and natural catastrophes.

Honduras: a nation hit ever more frequently by extreme weather such as tropical hurricanes and flooding. Almost 70 per cent of the population lives in poverty; more than 50 per cent of those are in dire need. Violent incidents, gang warfare and abductions are part of daily life here. The murder rate is one of the highest in the world. Many Hondurans see no other option but to leave. They are undeterred by the high cost; the risk that they’ll die on the journey or be murdered by human traffickers; or just how unlikely it is that they’ll actually make it to the US at all. Often, it’s the men that leave; their wives and children stay behind and never hear back from their husbands and fathers, even if they’ve managed to enter the US and are living illegally there. The money they promised to send to their families never arrives. As a result, more and more women feel compelled to flee themselves. They might take one of their children along, or leave them all with relatives. The country is losing its life blood – in some regions, villages are populated only by children and elderly people. Aid organizations try to help the most desperate, but even they are powerless to stem the tide of refugees.

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