Young people and crime – especially gang-related crime – are huge issues in Honduras. Almost half of the population is under 18, and poverty is widespread – conditions which explain why it's so easy for young people to come into conflict with the law.
It has been estimated that there are 30,000 gang members in Honduras (out of a population of around seven million), and many of them are young people.
The media and the public have called for tough measures to deal with youth crime, and in recent years the Government introduced new laws aimed at cracking down on gangs. This zero tolerance policy has been heavy-handed and oppressive, breaking international rules on how young people should be treated, and causing new problems of its own.
One of these laws allows gang members to be arrested and prosecuted for the crimes committed by their gang – even if they were not personally involved. The police also started picking up young people just for having a tattoo (which can indicate gang membership). The public’s prejudices about young people makes it harder for them to get a job or go into education, and leave their gangs.
Young people in Honduras are also the victims of violence, and there is a very high rate of violent child deaths. Vigilante groups or ‘death squads’ have murdered thousands of children and young people in a campaign of social cleansing. These murders have rarely been prosecuted.
Also, youth detention centres in Honduras do not meet international standards. Conditions and facilities are poor, the centres are overcrowded, and the staff are often untrained. There is little help for offenders when released from detention.
Young people from the YMCA of Honduras have carried out research into the issues of youth justice in their country.
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