Gangs in Honduras

For years, Honduras has been one of the world's most murderous countries in the world. One of the neighborhoods in Honduras, known as the Japon neighborhood, is a breeding ground for gang violence. One of the most prolific gangs in Honduras is MS-13. MS-13 raid homes, deploy spies, and taunt people with whistles at dusk to remind them that the enemy is right around the corner. Another gang that runs the streets of Honduras is the 18th Street gang. For people who had left these gangs, they were now being hunted by their former gangs and MS-13 wanted to move in on where they were living so these people had to form what they hated the most, a gang. Latin America and the Caribbean accounts for just 8 percent of the global population, yet 38 percent of the world's murders. Gang members can be brutal. In 2014, a 13 year old girl was kidnapped by gang members. Her parents had failed to pay their extortion demands. As retaliation, they abducted the girl and took her to a private home, raped her, tortured her for three days before killing her and burying her in the floor. People watched her get grabbed from the streets, screaming and did nothing to help because they were scared for their lives. This just shows the control that gangs have over communities and people.

MS-13 gang members

To get away from the gangs violence and poverty in Honduras, people are fleeing to the United States. The US border is difficult to cross. The Mexican leg is at a very high risk of falling into the hands of criminal gangs such as the Zetas cartel who rape, murder, and demand ransoms from relatives in the United States. People are getting to the United States by riding the infamous freight train that goes through the country from near the Guatemalan border all the way to the United States, and this route is the choice of the poorest and most vulnerable. This train is known as The Beast. The train is very dangerous. Hundreds of migrants have lost their limbs of lives after falling off, when they either tried to board or falling asleep on the train. Some people have been pushed off by robbers. Rapes are also not uncommon. The average amount of migrants that ride the train every day is 1,500. Mexican drug gangs that control the route charge $100 or more for permission to mount the train. Passengers risk robbery, kidnapping, rape, and murder to start a new life in America.

Migrants risk their lives riding on top of the train to get to the United States

Bibliography

Garrido, E. (2018, December 31). Violence, gangs cast pall over life in Honduras. Retrieved from  https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-12-31/violence-gangs-cast-pall-over-life-honduras 

Ahmed A. (2019, May 13). Inside gang territory in Honduras. Retrieved from  https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/05/04/world/americas/honduras-gang-violence.html 

Tuckman, J. (2014, August 23). Migrants risk life and limb to reach the US on train known as the Beast. Retrieved from  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/23/migrants-mexico-train-the-beast-fleeing-poverty 

[Gang members, gangs members posing in front of the camera]. Retrieved from  https://steemit.com/lifestyle/@world-travel-pro/el-salvador-honduras-i-ll-pass-thank-you-very-much 

MS-13 gang members

Migrants risk their lives riding on top of the train to get to the United States