Honduras gang violence at 'war-like levels' - NGO
Published
7 hours ago
GETTY IMAGES
Whole neighbourhoods are under the control of gangs such as Barrio 18, which mark their territory with graffiti
By Vanessa Buschschlüter
BBC News Online Latin America editor
People living in Honduras are facing "war-like levels of violence", the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has warned. During a visit to the Central American country, the organisation's head Jan Egeland spoke to "people whose suffering was on the level with what you would find in any armed conflict".
Entire communities were being forcibly displaced by gangs, he said. He urged governments around the world not to neglect the crisis. Mr Egeland said that the number of killings in Honduras - as well as in neighbouring Guatemala and El Salvador - was on par with that in armed conflicts, turning thousands of people into refugees.
Women in particular often become victims of sexual violence and femicides there, with an average of one woman murdered every 28 hours.
More:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-65359336