Human Rights and Freedom in Honduras

https://www.humantruth.info/honduras_human_rights_and_freedom.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2018

#honduras #honduras_human_rights #human_rights

Honduras Republic of Honduras [Country Profile Page]
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	125th best
Location	North America, The Americas, Central America
Population	9.6m₁
Life Expectancy	70.12yrs (2017)₂

Honduras does relatively well in ensuring human rights and freedom, compared to many other countries. Honduras does better than average in its nominal commitment to Human Rights₃, LGBT equality₄, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₅ and in freethought₆. In 2017 Honduras finally moved to make child marriage illegal₇. But, things still need to improve in Honduras. Honduras does worse than average in opposing gender inequality₈, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₉, combatting modern slavery₁₀, its average Freedom in the World rating and in supporting press freedom₁₁ (amongst the worst in The Americas). "Violent crime is rampant in Honduras... Journalists, environmental activists, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals are among those most vulnerable to violence... Marred by corruption and abuse, the judiciary and police remain largely ineffective"₇.

1. Honduras's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #gender_equality #honduras #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance #venezuela

Compared to The Americas (2025)₁₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₂
1	Canada	14.9
2	Costa Rica	30.8
3	Uruguay	34.3
	...
24	Colombia	79.2
25	El Salvador	79.2
26	Paraguay	81.3
27	Honduras	84.5
28	Guatemala	85.4
29	Guyana	85.5
30	Grenada	86.1
31	Antigua & Barbuda	87.1
32	Nicaragua	91.8
	The Americas Avg	71.80
q=35.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)₁₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₂
1	Sweden	5.9
2	Norway	8.0
3	Denmark	8.1
	...
90	Armenia	81.9
91	Nauru	82.3
92	Moldova	83.3
93	Honduras	84.5
94	Ghana	85.0
95	Guatemala	85.4
96	Guyana	85.5
97	Philippines	86.1
	World Avg	86.35
q=198.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Norway and Denmark₁₃. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are N. Korea, Somalia and Eritrea₁₃.

25 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on supporting press freedom, combatting modern slavery, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, its average Freedom in the World rating, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₁₃, whereas the worst are The Middle East, Africa and Asia₁₃.

For more, see:

" Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Amnesty International's 2023-23 summary on human rights in Honduras stated:

“Human rights defenders faced high levels of violence. Authorities failed to provide sufficient funding for public health. Illegal logging continued to threaten the environment. Authorities failed to bring to justice members of the security forces suspected of criminal responsibility for excessive use of force against protesters in 2017.”
"The State of the World's Human Rights 2022/23" by Amnesty International (2023)₁₄

Along with 11 others, Honduras signed the Lima Declaration in 2017, condemning "the assault on democratic order and the systematic violation of human rights in Venezuela"₁₅.

2. Human Rights & Tolerance Datasets

2.1. Press Freedom

#democracy #freedom #Freedom_of_Speech #Good_Governance #mass_media #politics #UK

Press Freedom Higher is better₁₁
Pos.		2025₁₁
1	Norway	92.31
2	Estonia	89.46
3	Netherlands	88.64
	...
138	Sri Lanka	39.93
139	Hong Kong	39.86
140	Kazakhstan	39.34
141	Honduras	38.51
142	Uganda	37.61
143	Kyrgyzstan	37.46
144	Ethiopia	36.92
145	Rwanda	35.84
	The Americas Avg	55.99
	World Avg	54.65
q=179.

In terms of supporting press freedom, Honduras comes 141st in the world (amongst the worst in The Americas).

The freedom to investigate, publish information, and have access to others' opinion is a fundamental part of today's information-driven world, and is linked with Freedom of Speech and Good Governance. Scores on the Press Freedom Index are calculated according to indicators including pluralism - the degree to which opinions are represented in the media, media independence of authorities, self-censorship, legislation, transparency and the infrastructure that supports news and information, and, the level of violence against journalists which includes lengths of imprisonments. The index "does not take direct account of the kind of political system but it is clear that democracies provide better protection for the freedom to produce and circulate accurate news and information than countries where human rights are flouted". The rankings are used as one of the datasets of the Social and Moral Development Index₁₆

It must be noted that press freedom is not an indicator of press quality and the press itself can be abusive; the UK suffers in particular from a popular brand of nasty reporting that infuses several of its newspapers who are particularly prone to running destructive and often untrue campaigns against victims. The Press Freedom Index notes that "the index should in no way be taken as an indicator of the quality of the media in the countries concerned".

For more, see:

"Human Rights" by Vexen Crabtree (2019).

“Twenty-five journalists were murdered between 2014 and 2016 according to the human rights ombudsman, CONADEH, which also revealed in its 2016 report that 91 percent of killings of journalists since 2001 remain unpunished.”
"World Report 2018" by Human Rights Watch (2018)₇

Averages by decade for Honduras (for the ranks, lower is better):

Press Freedom	2000s Average	2010s Average
Honduras:	21.06	57.79
World Rank:	81st	⇣ 134th
World Avg:	27.44	65.91

2.2. Slavery in the 2020s

#burundi #eritrea #human_rights #indonesia #slavery

Slavery in the 2020s Lower is better₁₀
Pos.		Total Per 1000₁₀
1=	Switzerland	0.50
1=	Norway	0.50
3=	Germany	0.60
	...
100=	Indonesia	6.70
101=	Libya	6.80
101=	Qatar	6.80
103=	Honduras	7.00
103=	Serbia	7.00
105=	Peru	7.10
105=	Iran	7.10
105=	Djibouti	7.10
	The Americas Avg	5.84
	World Avg	7.15
q=160.

With regard to combatting modern slavery, Honduras ranks 103rd in the world.

Modern slavery includes forced labour (often of the under-age), debt bondage (especially generational), sexual slavery, chattel slavery and other forms of abuse, some of which can be surprisingly difficult to detect, but often target those fleeing from warzones, and poverty-stricken vulnerable.₁₇. Some industries (diamond, clothing, coal) from some countries (Burundi₁₈, Eritrea₁₈, Indonesia₁₉) are a particular concern. The Walk Free Foundation, say in their 2023 report that 50 million people are living in modern slavery₁₈.

For more, see:

"The Historical Slave Trade and Modern Slavery" by Vexen Crabtree (2018).

Averages by decade for Honduras (for the ranks, lower is better):

Slavery	2010s Average	2020s Average
Honduras:	3.40	7.00
World Rank:	68th	⇣ 103rd
World Avg:	6.54	7.15

2.3. Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom

#freedom #politics

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom Lower is better₉
Pos.		2014 Rank₉
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
99	Tanzania	99
100	Uganda	100
101=	Philippines	101
101=	Honduras	101
103=	Zambia	103
103=	Mozambique	103
103=	Argentina	103
106	Malawi	106
	The Americas Avg	72.4
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

Honduras is positioned 101st in the world when it comes to supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms.

The Human Freedom Index published by the Fraser Institute is...

“... a broad measure of human freedom, understood as the absence of coercive constraint. It uses 79 distinct indicators of personal and economic freedom in the following areas: Rule of Law, Security and Safety, Movement, Religion, Association, Assembly, and Civil Society, Expression, Relationships, Size of Government, Legal System and Property Rights, Access to Sound Money, Freedom to Trade Internationally, Regulation of Credit, Labor, and Business. [...]
The highest levels of freedom are in Western Europe, Northern Europe, and North America (Canada and the United States. The lowest levels are in the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. [...]
Countries in the top quartile of freedom enjoy a significant higher per capita income ($37,147) [compared with] the least-free quartile [at] $8,700). The HFI finds a strong correlation between human freedom and democracy.”
"The Human Freedom Index" by The Fraser Institute (2016)₂₀

For more, see:

"Human Rights" by Vexen Crabtree (2019).

2.4. Freedom in the World

#freedom #human_rights #hungary #politics #USA

Freedom in the World Lower is better
Pos.		2024 Score
1=	Norway	1.0
1=	Canada	1.0
1=	Cape Verde	1.0
	...
113=	Zambia	4.0
113=	Kenya	4.0
113=	Ivory Coast	4.0
113=	Honduras	4.0
113=	Bosnia & Herzegovina	4.0
113=	Armenia	4.0
113=	Singapore	4.0
113=	Madagascar	4.0
	The Americas Avg	2.7
	World Avg	3.7
q=205.

Honduras is positioned 110th in the world in terms of its average Freedom in the World rating.

Freedom House's long-standing annual report has been running since the 1970s, collecting data on political rights (PR) and civil liberties (CL). Their reports rate countries as "Free", "Partially Free" or "Not Free", however the results here are based on their numerical values. Many countries score the best combination of scores (1 and 1), which is why the table of results show many places equally placed in 1st place. In the past two decades, some well-established democracies like the USA and Hungary have been falling. Whilst most of the world in general is improving rights and freedoms over time, the 2020s has seen some regression.

For more, see:

" Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Averages by decade for Honduras (for the ranks, lower is better):

Freedom in the World	1970s Average	1980s Average	1990s Average	2000s Average	2010s Average
Honduras:	4.6	2.7	2.8	3.1	4.0
World Rank:	76th	⇡ 51st	⇣ 77th	⇣ 98th	⇣ 125th
World Avg:	4.3	4.2	3.6	3.4	3.4

2.5. Human Rights Watch Comments

#human_rights

Human Rights Watch Comments Higher is better₅
Pos.		2017 Score₅
1=	UK	9
1=	France	9
1=	Germany	9
	...
44=	Armenia	-1
44=	Ivory Coast	-1
44=	Kosovo	-1
44=	Honduras	-1
44=	Peru	-1
49=	Mozambique	-2
49=	Brazil	-2
49=	Argentina	-2
	The Americas Avg	-0.8
	World Avg	-1.9
q=123.

Honduras is 43rd in the world with regard to commentary in Human Rights Watch reports.

Human Rights Watch comments concentrate mostly on negative issues, however, they also make positive comments for those countries that engage in human rights defence around the world, or who make improvements at home. By adding up positive and negative comments (including double-points for negatives that involve large scales and crimes against humanity), the Social and Moral Index turns HRW commentary into quantified values. Some countries may be unfairly penalized because HRW have not examined them, and, some countries "get away" with abuses if they manage to hide it, or if it goes unnoticed - a negative point has been given for those countries in which HRW specifically state that access to investigators has been barred. The points were limited to a minimum of -10 because there are some points at which things are so bad, with abuses affecting so many, it is difficult to be more specific about the depths of the issues.

For more, see:

"Human Rights" by Vexen Crabtree (2019).

2.6. Nominal Commitment to HR

#human_rights

Nominal Commitment to HR Higher is better₃
Pos.		2009 Treaties₃
1	Argentina	24
2=	Chile	23
2=	Costa Rica	23
	...
35=	Ukraine	20
35=	Macedonia	20
35=	Slovakia	20
35=	Honduras	20
35=	S. Africa	20
35=	Liechtenstein	20
35=	Iceland	20
35=	Romania	20
	The Americas Avg	16.5
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

Honduras is positioned 29th in the world regarding its nominal commitment to Human Rights.

There are many international agreements on human rights, and, many mechanisms by which countries can be brought to account for their actions. Together, these have been the biggest historical movement in the fight against oppression and inhumanity. Or, putting it another way: these are rejected mostly by those who wish to oppress inhumanely. None of them are perfect and many people object to various components and wordings, but, no-one has come up with, and enforced, better methods of controlling the occasional desires that states and peoples have of causing angst for other states and peoples in a violent, unjust or inhumane way. Points are awarded for the number of human rights agreements ratified by the country, plus the acceptance of the petition mechanisms for disputes. The maximum possible score in 2009 was 24.

For more, see:

"Human Rights" by Vexen Crabtree (2019).

2.7. HR Treaties Lag

#human_rights #international_law #micronesia #politics #small_islands

HR Treaties Lag Lower is better₂₁
Pos.		2019 Avg Yrs/Treaty₂₁
1	Ecuador	2.15
2	Uruguay	2.25
3	Tunisia	3.65
	...
54	New Zealand	7.56
55	Iceland	7.57
56	Jamaica	7.61
57	Honduras	7.64
58	Congo, DR	7.72
59	Seychelles	7.73
60	Jordan	7.75
61	Madagascar	7.75
	The Americas Avg	8.45
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

Honduras ranks 57th in the world with regard to speed of uptake of HR treaties.

Human Rights (HR) Treaties Lag is a count of how long it took each country to sign each of 11 key HR treaties. From the date of the first signatory of each treaty, all other countries have one point added to their score for each day they delayed in signing. Results are presented as average time in years to sign each one. The lower a country's score, the more enthusiastically it has taken on international Human Rights Treaties - which are, of course, minimal standards of good governance. The slowest are the countries of Micronesia, Melanesia, Australasia and Polynesia all lagged by over 12 years per treaty. The best regions are The Americas, Scandinavia and the Mediterranean.

For more, see:

" Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

3. Gender Equality Datasets

The 1950s saw a late rush of 43 countries, including Honduras and many developing nations, move to cease preventing women from voting. Honduras has made some steps towards ending gender inequality but much more needs to be done.

Abortion is illegal, without any exceptions, and those (many) who are forced to seek irregular and underground abortions face a six year prison sentence₇.

See:

3.1. Gender Inequality

#gender #gender_equality #human_rights #misogyny #women

Gender Inequality Lower is better₈
Pos.		2022₈
1	Denmark	0.01
2	Norway	0.01
3	Switzerland	0.02
	...
98=	S. Africa	0.40
99	Suriname	0.41
100	Colombia	0.41
101	Honduras	0.42
102	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	0.42
103	Guyana	0.42
104	Samoa	0.42
105	Bolivia	0.42
	The Americas Avg	0.36
	World Avg	0.34
q=166.

Honduras comes 101st in the world with regard to opposing gender inequality.

The UN Human Development Reports include statistics on gender equality which take into account things like maternal mortality, access to political power (seats in parliament) and differences between male and female education rates. Gender inequality is not a necessary part of early human development. Although a separation of roles is almost universal due to different strengths between the genders, this does not have to mean that women are subdued, and, such patriarchalism is not universal in ancient history. Those cultures and peoples who shed, or never developed, the idea that mankind ought to dominate womankind, are better cultures and peoples than those who, even today, cling violently to those mores.

For more, see:

"Gender Equality" by Vexen Crabtree (2023).

Data starts in 1998, so the 1990s average may be a little skewed due to too few datapoints.

Averages by decade for Honduras (for the ranks, lower is better):

Gender Inequality	1990s Average	2000s Average	2010s Average
Honduras:	0.54	0.51	0.44
World Rank:	71st	⇣ 97th	⇣ 102nd
World Avg:	0.44	0.41	0.37

3.2. Year Women Can Vote

#christianity #gender_equality #human_rights #politics #women

Year Women Can Vote Lower is better
Pos.		Total Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
103=	Ethiopia	1955
103=	Peru	1955
103=	Eritrea	1955
103=	Honduras	1955
103=	Cambodia	1955
108=	Mali	1956
108=	Benin	1956
108=	Mauritius	1956
	The Americas Avg	1947
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

With regard to the year from which women could participate in democracy, Honduras ranks 102nd in the world.

Women now have equal rights in the vast majority of countries across the world. Although academic literature oftens talks of when a country "grants women the right to vote", this enforces a backwards way of thinking. Women always had the right to vote, however, they were frequently denied that right. The opposition to women's ability to vote in equality with man was most consistently and powerfully opposed by the Catholic Church, other Christian organisations, Islamic authorities and some other religious and secular traditionalists.

For more, see:

"Gender Equality" by Vexen Crabtree (2023).

4. Prejudice Datasets

4.1. LGBT Equality

#equality #homosexuality #human_rights #ICCPR #intolerance #sexuality #tolerance

“Homophobic violence is a major problem in Honduras. Several UN agencies working in Honduras have noted that sexual violence against LGBT individualsforces them into "internal displacement" or to flee the country in search of international protection.”
"World Report 2018" by Human Rights Watch (2018)₇

LGBT Equality Higher is better₄
Pos.		2017 Score₄
1	Netherlands	103
2	Belgium	90
3	Sweden	86
	...
28	Hungary	49
29	Israel	48
30=	Estonia	45
30=	Honduras	45
30=	Bolivia	45
30=	Croatia	45
30=	Slovenia	45
35	Germany	44
	The Americas Avg	26.1
	World Avg	12.6
q=196.

Honduras is positioned 30th in the world with regard to LGBT equality.

Discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) folk is rife across the world. Legal restrictions co-exist alongside social stigmatisation and physical violence₂₂. LGBT tolerance and equal rights have been fought for country-by-country across the world, often against tightly entrenched cultural and religious opposition. Adult consensual sexual activity is a Human Right, protected by privacy laws₂₃. Despite this, homosexual activity is outlawed in around 80 countries₂₂. The Social & Moral LGBT Equality Index was created to compare countries and regions, granting points to each country for a variety of factors including how long gay sex has been criminalized and the extent of LGBT legal rights. Graded negative points are given for criminality of homosexuality, unequal ages of consent, legal punishments and for not signing international accords on LGBT tolerance. The signs in many developed countries are positive, and things are gradually improving. Europe is by far the least prejudiced region (Scandinavia in particular being exemplary). The Middle East and then Africa are the least morally developed, where cultural bias goes hand-in-hand with state intolerance, all too often including physical violence.

For more, see:

"LGBT Rights Across the World: Which are the Best and Worst Countries?" by Vexen Crabtree (2017).

4.2. Freedom of Thought

#europe #freedom_of_belief #freethought #human_rights #netherlands #religion #religious_tolerance #secularism #the_enlightenment

Freedom of Thought Lower is better₆
Pos.		2021₆
1=	Belgium	1.0
1=	Taiwan	1.0
1=	Netherlands	1.0
	...
60=	Colombia	2.5
60=	Costa Rica	2.5
62=	Austria	2.7
62=	Honduras	2.7
62=	Czechia	2.7
65=	Canada	2.8
65=	Kyrgyzstan	2.8
65=	Dominica	2.8
	The Americas Avg	2.7
	World Avg	3.0
q=196.

Regarding freethought, Honduras comes 62nd in the world.

Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Belief are upheld in Article 18 the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights₂₄. It affirms that it is a basic human right that all people are free to change their beliefs and religion as they wish₂₅. No countries voted against this (although eight abstained). This right was first recognized clearly in the policies of religious toleration of the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe in the post-enlightenment era₂₆ of the 19th century. In democratic countries, freedom of belief and religion is now taken for granted₂₇. In 2016 a study found that over 180 countries in the world had come to guarantee freedom of religion and belief₂₈. The best countries at doing so are Belgium, The Netherlands and Taiwan₆_,₂₉ and the worst: Afghanistan, N. Korea, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia₆_,₃₀.

Long-term studies have shown that religious violence and persecution both decrease in cultures where religious freedom is guaranteed₃₁. Despite this, there still are many who are strongly against freedom of belief₂₅, including entire cultures and many individual communities of religious believers. Their alternative is that you are not free to believe what you want and they often state that you cannot change religion without being punished (often including the death penalty): this is bemoaned as one of the most dangerous elements of religion₃₂ and "the denial of religious freedoms is inevitably intertwined with the denial of other freedoms"₃₃ and the solution is, everywhere, to allow religious freedom and the freedom of belief.

For more, see:

"Freethought - Freedom of Belief and Freedom of Religion" by Vexen Crabtree (2022).