Violence seems to be a thread that runs through the fabric of our lives, in fact it has always been present in different forms, in all societies and in all historical periods.
The violent behavior that leads human beings to repress their peers has a strong evolutionary root even if the frequency with which it occurs is strongly influenced by the era and the society in which we live.
The roots of violence in Honduras are intertwined in various cultural aspects that lead to a deep rooting in society.In Honduras gangs have almost total control of some areas of the country, especially in communities characterized by poverty, limited access to quality education and adequate healthcare and where unemployment rates are high.
All of these factors create an environment where young people can feel marginalized and hopeless, and gangs can offer a sense of belonging, protection and financial stability.
If we managed not to remain suspended on the surface but went deeper into the phenomenon of gangs and their violence, we would realize that behind the threshold of violence flaunted by their members there is an impervious path that leads to the origin of the problem.
The high unemployment rate, the high levels of intra-family violence and the large number of early pregnancies and mothers who raise their children alone (also due to the male chauvinist culture), constitute the social incubator of the gang phenomenon and their violent escalation.
Natural families are often absent and for many kids the gang replaces this absence: it is the only refuge in which they find solidarity and a sense of belonging and this double track of violence and abandonment are the two sides of the same coin.
In 2022, former president Juan Orlando Hernandez was extradited to the USA on drug trafficking charges; Prosecutors say Hernandez has turned the country into a “narco-state”.
Hernandez was sentenced on June 26, 2024 to 45 years in prison.
Since Honduras has the second highest homicide rate in the world, with 63.75 homicides per 100,000 people and also has one of the highest incidences of firearm-related deaths, a national state of emergency has been in effect since December 6, 2022 to strengthen the fight against crime.
However, all deaths cannot be attributed only to firefights between gangs or with the police; in fact, Honduras is also fighting a war with the gender violence that prevails in the country, mainly due to a culture and a society sexist and patriarchal, which leads Honduras to be one of the countries in the world in which women suffer the most violence.
Data from the National Human Rights Commissioner indicates that between 2002 and 2023, more than 8,100 women lost their lives in violent circumstances.
2023 was one of the most violent years against women in the last 10 years, in fact 386 violent deaths against women were recorded, approximately 1 every 22 hours.
The inability of the authorities translates into the high level of impunity, above 94% for most crimes against women and all this impunity contributes to “normalizing” gender violence.
Limited access to opportunities for personal and professional growth can lead people to believe that gang involvement is their only path to success, and the absence of positive role models can leave a void in young people’s lives, making them susceptible to negative influences.
Very often repression is used to stem the gang problem but very often turns into abuse by the police and these methods increase fear in the population.
If repression fails to eradicate the gang phenomenon and this violence that is spreading across the country, it would no longer be appropriate to ask ourselves whether we should not first act on education, on social justice, on socioeconomic disparities strengthening also family dynamics and creating opportunities for personal growth?
People almost always become aggressive after having suffered violence themselves and often the kids who join a gang are the product of the environment in which they live and like every human being they learn to give to life what they receive from it.
