Violent crime in Honduras has been a topic of public interest for years and is perceived as an obstacle to development. To tackle the problem of youth violence, the government has launched controversial assistance programs. Civil society organizations see them as a further contribution to the militarization of society. Since the coup against Manuel Zelaya 2009, the human rights situation in Honduras has deteriorated drastically. Currently Juan Orlando Hernández is the head of state of the country. His first election took place in 2013 in a climate of social tension and remains disputed.

In this interview, Edna Ortega explains how this delicate situation affects women and women’s rights organizations in Honduras. She is a lawyer and works for Brücke · Le pont as local coordinator of the development program in Honduras. As part of her engagement, she deals in depth with topics such as human rights, women’s rights, labor rights and children’s rights.

Can you describe the situation of civil society in Honduras?

The government has dictatorial features and especially feminist NGOs are opposing it. Most NGOs do not recognize the government as legitimate and sadly, there is no conversation between the two. There is a lack of respect between the government and social movements including NGOs especially if they have different opinions.

Why do the NGOs oppose the government?

Because the elections were neither, free nor fair. The government is doing everything it can to stay in power. It even changed the constitution.

Is the government oppressing women?

Since the current government came to power, there have been several setbacks in terms of international law and the respect for women’s rights and human rights in general. Previously, the head of the National Institute of Women had the rank of a minister. Now women disappear from high positions in the government and Women’s Offices lost any decision-making power. Structures that guarantee women’s rights are missing and mostly they are only used for propaganda purposes and government assistance programs.

Another big problem in Honduras are femicides – murders committed against women for reasons of gender. Most affected are young women. In 2017 for example over 380 femicides were reported. 2018 was even worse: In January, 52 women were killed by their partners in San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa alone – two of the most dangerous cities for women in the country. The local authorities usually remain inactive. Most of the murders stay uninvestigated.

What is the role of women in Honduras in the context of gang violence?

In Honduras we have a big problem with gang violence, especially related to drug trafficking. Criminal men often force their female partners to commit criminal acts. Let me give you an example: In Honduras paid murders are often carried out by two people on a motorbike. One rides and the other one shoots with a gun. Therefore, a law prohibited two men riding on a bike. However, it is not forbidden for a men and a woman to do so. Organized criminals now train women to shoot people, while riding a bike. The government is not prepared for such cases. When the women are caught, they go to jail and they lose their family. They do not get any support.

Who are the NGOs in Honduras that defend women’s rights? And what are they demanding?

One example is the National Campaign Against Femicides (Tribuna contra los Femicidios). As the name says, this is an NGO network against femicides. Those organizations do studies, which show that the legislation is not providing justice for those murders. They also do a lot of advocacy work to raise awareness in the public.

Can you say a little more about those femicides? Who is committing them and why?

In Honduras, there is a patriarchal society. Those are hate crimes. This patriarchism is nourished by the Church and the media and manifests itself in the form of machismo. We hear for example a lot about women, who work in big companies, whose labor rights are violated and who get abused. They cannot get any help, because the institution that is supposed to help them will not support them and even worse, they may abuse the women as well! It is a structural problem.

At the end of 2018 and beginning of 2019, the migrant caravans on their way from Latin America to the USA attracted great media attention. Can you say something about the situation of the women in those caravans?

Many women flee with their children to escape the violence. They know the road is dangerous but the risk to stay in their community is higher. The government of Honduras but also of other Central  American countries do not have a gender-focused policy to provide support for the specific needs of the women on these roads. One example are the emergency kits. These contain dental care and other important items. Products for menstruating women however, are completely missing.

Another important issue is stigmatization. Whenever the caravan started in San Pedro Sula in November 2018, the government criminalized the families and especially the women who were leaving for this road. They accused them of putting their children in danger. However, the real question should be: Why are they leaving? Why are they taking this risk?

Has the women’s situation in the last years gotten worse or better?

The NGOs are working very hard. However, without the governments support there will be no change. I have not seen any progress concerning women’s rights in Honduras in the last 10 years.

How can we from Switzerland as a Swiss NGO help?

The Swiss NGOs can help to empower local activists and they can strengthen the capacities of local NGOs by supporting them.

Why are you personally fighting for women’s rights in Honduras?

I am a lawyer and already my first work was at a local NGO helping women, who experienced violence. I think that with this work we can make a better world, even if we are focusing on one specific issue. Furthermore, I believe in people and I think that local NGOs are very important. They have the local knowledge and they challenge our inactive government.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Yes, maybe one point: For civil society, it is very important to stay innovative and to work with youth. The young people are the ones who are shaping the future. In addition, let us not forget to also include young men. To achieve gender equality we need to work with women and men.