Tegucigalpa, February 12 (EFE).- Honduras requires international support to address the causes of irregular migration and forced displacement, such as poverty and violence, two of the main problems that afflict the country, according to the representative of the Agency of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Tegucigalpa, Kathryn Lo.
“The countries of origin have the responsibility and must work to improve the conditions so that all people can live a safe and dignified life, but it is very complicated (to address) the structural causes (of migration), so this requires a level of international collaboration and cooperation,” Lo said in an interview with EFE in Tegucigalpa.
Unemployment, insecurity, lack of access to education and health services are some of the reasons that force thousands of Hondurans every year, including unaccompanied minors, to flee their country, mainly to the United States, according to human rights organizations.
People leave their countries for “multiple reasons, many times problems that we call mixed (massive movements of people seeking a better life) are combined with people who have not been able to stay in their place of origin (refugees),” Lo explained. .
At least 56,172 Hondurans, many of them unaccompanied minors, were deported to their country in 2023, 40.4% less compared to 2022, according to figures from the National Migration Institute (INM) of Honduras.
Since October 2018, several caravans with thousands of people, most of them Hondurans, have left Honduras with the purpose of reaching the United States.
Forced displacement and its multiple causes
The climate crisis in Honduras is an “additional factor” that can trigger forced displacement and increase the risks for affected communities, especially those controlled by organized criminal groups, Lo said.
Many of these communities not only suffer violence, a phenomenon that in Honduras leaves an average of between ten and fifteen deaths daily, but also lack basic services such as water, sanitation and energy, which further aggravates the situation when natural disasters occur, according to the UNHCR official.
“The most vulnerable people, who are already facing human rights violations, violence or persecution, normally live in communities that are also greatly impacted by climate change,” he stressed.
The forced displacement of Hondurans is linked to “multiple causes”, mainly associated with generalized violence and human rights violations, said the UNHCR representative.
The Honduran Parliament approved a law in 2022 to protect those displaced by violence in the country, which according to human rights organizations is a “big step” to seek lasting solutions to the phenomenon.
A law to provide protection and responses to displaced people
Lo indicated that the Law on Prevention, Care and Protection of Persons Internally Displaced by Violence proposes “providing protection and response” to people who are forced to leave their homes.
The regulations contemplate, among other measures, analyzing and addressing the structural causes of forced displacement, and responding to people forced to leave their homes, Lo emphasized.
According to the latest study presented in 2019, some 247,000 people had to leave their home of residence and seek protection in another part of the country for reasons linked to violence caused by armed groups, gangs or maras between 2014 and 2018.
In Lo’s opinion, the law will also help displaced people “recover their lives, their livelihoods in a place where they can be more stable, safe and dignified.”
Honduran organizations are carrying out “very complex work” but the Central American country requires “international cooperation” to prevent and address forced displacement, a phenomenon that Honduras recognized in 2013, he said.
Anny Castro
By: EFE
The post Ancur: Honduras requires international help to address the causes of migration appeared first on Minuto30.
2024-02-12 18:14:57
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