Family
The family plays an important role in Honduran society, and is considered its foundation. The unity of the family and the bonds of solidarity between its members are valued. In Honduran society, family values are based on solidarity, respect, responsibility, communication and peaceful coexistence. These values play a fundamental role in shaping balanced individuals and building a cohesive society. The importance of the family unit, respect for elders and solidarity among its members are some of the fundamental pillars that define coexistence in this country.
Education
Education in Honduras is free and compulsory for children aged 7 to 14. The literacy rate is around 88.50%, and the government is committed to reducing illiteracy over the next few years. The National Autonomous University of Honduras, founded in 1847 in Tegucigalpa, is the country's leading university. It is a public university with campuses in San Pedro Sula and La Ceiba. There are also a number of private universities. Spanish is the default language of instruction, except in some schools on the Bay Islands, where it is sometimes taught in English. In any case, English is the main secondary foreign language taught throughout the country.
Social protection
The healthcare system in Honduras is currently in crisis. Hondurans generally lack health insurance to cover basic needs. Public health care centers are poorly equipped and generally have too few medicines, which means they are unable to meet patients' needs. The retirement age is 60. There is no government-funded retirement pension (except for certain professions such as teachers, but levels are very low). The elderly are entitled to a few benefits, such as a 25% discount on medicines, public transport and restaurants.
Poverty and inequality
Despite its natural resources, Honduras faces high levels of poverty and inequality in its socio-economic structures. There are marked differences between social classes and limited access to opportunities for the most disadvantaged sectors.
Honduras remains one of the poorest and most unequal countries in Central America. In 2020, as a result of Covid-19 and hurricanes Eta and Iota, the population living in poverty reached 57.7%. The ensuing recovery of the economy and labor market, together with income from remittances, have helped to reduce poverty. The poverty level is estimated at 52.4%, with extreme poverty estimated at 13.3% in 2022.
By 2023, 74% of the population will be living below the poverty line.
Violence and safety
In Honduras, violence is a widespread problem in and around urban areas. Violent deaths are attributed to organized crime and gangs known as " maras ". To deal with the gangs, maras and drug traffickers who have made Honduras one of the main transit zones for South American cocaine, a military police force has been set up. In some areas, the maras levy a war tax on small shopkeepers and the wealthiest members of the middle classes (racketeering, blackmail, kidnapping, threats). Of course, this does not encourage entrepreneurship, nor does it encourage the poorer classes to work and succeed. Hondurans normalize violence and adopt habits such as building walls around houses, installing barbed wire, investing in security camera systems and, for the wealthy, employing security guards (this sector is not in crisis). This violence also affects human rights, notably freedom of expression, association and assembly, as well as the rights of children and women.
Women's place
As in many Catholic Latin American countries, a certain machismo reigns. The notion of "feminicide" (a situation where women are killed and subjected to violence simply because they are women) unfortunately appeared in the legal arena before many other countries, given the violence of this phenomenon here, but according to some local NGOs, 98% of these feminicides go unpunished in Honduras. The tragic murder in November 2014 of Maria José Alvarado, Miss Honduras 2014, and her sister, once again highlighted the insecurity eating away at Honduran society.
Justice and human rights
Honduras has become one of the most hostile and dangerous countries for human rights defenders, United Nations experts have warned. During 2016, at least eight such defenders were killed in the country, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
However, since 2023, the effects of the new security policy have been felt. In fact, homicides have fallen by more than 25%.
Difficult life for LGBTI+ people
Central America is a particularly dangerous region for LGBTI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex) people, with statistics placing Honduras in the worst position. Against this backdrop, what can we say about the state of LGBTI+ rights, and in particular the situation in which those fighting for the advancement of these rights live? Discrimination and persecution are the order of the day, leading to forced migration. At present, the Honduran Constitution expressly prohibits same-sex marriage and de facto unions, as well as the recognition of same-sex marriages performed abroad.
