Honduras, the most murderous nation on earth

Until recently I knew very little about Honduras.  I did not know the name of its capital, currency or president.  I did know that it has a thriving textile industry and that my Y-fronts were manufactured in Honduras.  I knew that there was a great deal of poverty and people lived on very low wages.  I had no idea that, according to the National Commission for Human Rights, there is a violent death every 74 minutes.  Bodies are dumped frequently on the streets of Tegucigalpa, the capital.  Its Mayor, Ricardo Alvarez, started the People's Funeral Service, when he found that people were being buried in black garbage sacks and could not afford a decent funeral. Honduras has the world's highest murder rate.  The latest figures show that there are 86 homicides for every 1,000 of the population.  The situation seems to be getting worse.  There are murderous gangs, policemen and military officers.  Police and military corruption is widespread and they are evidently working with the gangs and cartels.  There is big money and influence in drugs.  It is estimated that 79 per cent of all cocaine flights from South America to the USA stop in Honduras.  Two thirds of the country live in poverty.

Yesterday an excellent BBC Radio 4 programme Crossing Continents: A Death in Honduras, reported on the horrendous situation in Honduras.  It is currently available on BBC iplayer and it will be broadcast again on Monday 7 May at 20:30 on Radio 4.


I thoroughly recommend the BBC news article by Linda Pressly
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17870673

I also visited the Compassion.com website for details of Christian aid work in Honduras and information about the country.
http://www.compassion.com/about/where/honduras.htm