Extreme levels of violence in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador are shattering lives and compounding humanitarian needs, the international humanization organization Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) warned today. The non-governmental organization (NGO) says almost one in three people in North Central America are in urgent need of aid as the international community continues to overlook this crisis and is failing to provide adequate funding.
Source: Ed Prior / NRC
The North of Central America (NCA) is becoming yet another large, protracted, neglected humanitarian disaster, the NRC warned in a statement Monday.
"The kinds of stories people have been telling me here in Honduras are similar to those from people in war-zones like Syria, Yemen or Ukraine," said Jan Egeland, Secretary General of NRC, whilst visiting the country last week.
"Violence permeates the very fabric of life and forces tens of thousands to flee their homes. People need support and protection so they can access their rights and live in safety and with dignity."
Across the North of Central America, heavily armed gangs, drug traffickers and transnational criminal organizations fuel society-wide corruption, and gender-based violence.
“A school now supported by NRC in La Lima had 5,000 students five years ago. Now, there are 1,200 left as thousands have dropped out or fled for the United States due to violence, the devastation of hurricanes, and poverty", the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council said.
Desperate migrants from the Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador - and from as far away as Africa and Asia - also trek through these dangerous terrains in search of protection and opportunities in North America. A thousand migrants from dozens of countries cross into Honduras every day seeking protection and a better life in North-America, the NGO said.
On top of this, the North Central America is increasingly struck by the consequences of climate change and extreme weather events, destabilizing livelihoods, and reducing access to resources. In Honduras alone, 3.2 million people are in need of aid, many of whom require both protection and food assistance. Across the sub-region, 9.3 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, including 5 million in Guatemala and 1.1 million in El Salvador.
North Central America has one of the highest homicide rates in the world. The crisis manifests in forced displacement of entire communities, gang recruitment of children and young people, a lack of access to medical care, and large numbers of children dropping out of school. Rates of sexual violence and femicide far exceed rates globally.
Despite the acute and growing humanitarian needs, last year saw grossly inadequate levels of funding for the response and some of the lowest globally, with El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras receiving between a quarter and a half of the required amounts.
70 per cent of all funding for the region in 2022 came from the United States, highlighting the failure of other donor countries in Europe, the Gulf and large Asian economies to play their part. This trend looks set to continue in 2023. In 2022, El Salvador saw the lowest funding humanitarian response plan in the world, at just over a quarter funded. Honduras (43.6%) and Guatemala (36.9%) also saw pitiful levels of funding, according to United Nations data.
"Families that NRC is assisting with relocation, support and protection in Honduras told me how armed gangs used violence to take their land and property, and threatened to recruit their children. This forced them to flee their homes and ended their livelihoods and their children's education”, Egeland said.
The Norwegian Refugee Council stressed that non-governmental organizations, as well as local and national authorities, have made some progress to support families forced to flee their homes. In March of this year, Honduras introduced a law to support internally displaced people and prevent violence and the forced recruitment conducted by criminal organizations. This legislation must be effectively implemented and get financial and diplomatic support from the outside world, the NRC urged.
"There needs to be far greater recognition of the climate crisis, the situation facing young people, and the levels of violence that people in Honduras and Central America endure. The outside world has so far failed to react to this crisis in a way that matches its human cost. Only with a concerted effort, from many more donors, will there be the progress that is so clearly needed," added Egeland.
The North of Central America – also called the Northern Triangle of Central America (NTCA) – is a sub-region comprising El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras and one of the most dangerous places on earth. Gang violence, threats, extortion, persecution and sexual violence have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes in search of safety.
More than 1.1 million people from Central America have been uprooted from their homes, while some 3.6 million people across El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras face acute hunger. Host communities for refugees and IDPs are primarily situated in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Panama. According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the number of refugees and migrants travelling north by land through Central America has also increased massively since the beginning of 2022.
The Norwegian Refugee Council is an independent humanitarian organization helping people forced to flee. The non-governmental organization protects displaced people and supports them. Founded in 1946, the Norwegian Refugee Council started its relief efforts after World War Two and is currently one of the largest NGOs worldwide supporting refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). The NRC's focus is the provision of urgent humanitarian aid during the emergency stage of a conflict or natural disaster. Its headquarters are located in Oslo, Norway. Today, the Norwegian Refugee Council works in new and protracted crises across 35 countries.
Further information
Full text: Millions in North Central America engulfed by war-like levels of violence, Norwegian Refugee Council, press release, published April 24, 2023
https://www.nrc.no/news/2023/april/millions-in-north-central-america-engulfed-by-war-like-levels-of-violence/