DIGITAL FREEDOM NETWORK: Human rights and cyber-rights news Honduran government complicit in the murder of street children by Shravanti Reddy, Digital Freedom Network URL: www.dfn.org/news/honduras/streetkids.htm (December 17, 2002) "There is no re-election in Honduras and so the politicians have four years to make their mark in the books of history," explained Bruce Harris in an interview with the Digital Freedom Network, "They build bridges that go nowhere and fountains that run out of water… but the past three Honduran presidents have written their history with the blood of their children." Harris is the Executive Director of Latin American Programs at Casa Alianza, a branch of the New York-based Covenant House. An independent NGO dedicated to the rehabilitation and defense of street children, Casa Alianza has documented the murder of approximately 1,500 street children under the age of 23 in Honduras since 1998. As their moniker suggests, street children have few options but to live or work on the streets for survival. They are among the most impoverished and marginalized within society. Murdering street children in Honduras is considered part of an unofficial "social cleansing" program. Unfortunately, they are also part of an unofficial "social cleansing" program and the perpetrators of these murders are often state agents, members of the police or security forces. Civilians and roaming "death squads" have also targeted street children for murder, assisted by both the active and passive complicity of the government. All have used guns and knives indiscriminately in murdering innocent street children. The level of impunity for these crimes is shocking. Not one conviction has taken place in the last four years and almost 60 percent of the cases have never been sufficiently investigated. Viewed as "vermin" by security forces and business leaders, the national media has also played a role in branding street children as "troublemakers," blaming them for everything from violent crime to driving away foreign investment and tourism. The consequence has been that these deaths have caused little reaction among the public who consider street children as undesirable, despite the fact that the portrait of them painted by the media and government is inaccurate. An August, 2001 visit by the UN Special Rapporteur on Extra Judicial, Arbitrary and Summary Executions, Asma Jahangir, has done little to improve the situation except generate government rhetoric. In fact, the number of murders per month has been increasing at an alarming rate as President Ricardo Maduro has enforced a "zero tolerance" policy against crime since taking office in January. Last month alone, 46 children were killed. The phenomenon of street children "The fact that street children exist is a political decision, the result of the lack of investment in children," said Harris. Children and youth comprise the largest segment of Honduran society. The street children often live in deplorable conditions, such as those under this trash-strewn culvert. (Photo courtesy of Casa Alianza) In Honduras, there are approximately 7,500 street children. The majority live in cities such as the capital Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. A product of high unemployment and poverty, the number of street children swelled by 20 percent after the devastation wrought by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. In addition, 51 percent of all children in Central America are from female single parent households. The trend illuminates the collapse of the traditional family and the social net it provides. Falling outside of this net, many children turn to the streets for a new home and to gangs for a new "family." Referred to as maras or pandillas in Honduras, street gangs often engage in juvenile delinquency and sometimes in violent crimes. According to Harris, the deportation of Latino gang members from the US back to their countries of birth has helped to fuel an increase in gang activity. Many street children resort to drug abuse, particularly sniffing the widely available and inexpensive solvent-based glue Resistol, in order to suppress their feelings of cold and hunger. Despite the large numbers, organizations that run programs to assist street children are limited. Although Casa Alianza provides residential and non-residential services for some 1,500 homeless children and youth each year, these organizations have been unable to meet the needs of street children. All the organizations combined do not provide more than 300 beds a night. "What about the other 7,200 kids?" asked Harris. Unsafe streets Rather than providing additional programs to assist street children to lead productive lives, the government has allowed state agents and civilians to murder them with impunity. "For children who have nowhere else to go but the streets, it is almost impossible for them to hide from their would-be murderers." (Photo courtesy Casa Alianza) The majority of these murders are taking place in cities, with almost 60 percent in Tegucigalpa alone. More than half of the deaths involve children under the age of 18 and 75 percent of the victims are boys. While the government has tried to portray these deaths as the result of rival gang wars, eyewitness accounts and documentation by Casa Alianza prove otherwise. Only 13 percent of all deaths were attributed to juvenile gangs. Of the remaining deaths, eight percent were at the hands of the police and security agents and non-state agents were responsible for another 19 percent. The remaining 70 percent of deaths remain unsolved. Evidence strongly suggests that police and security agents are responsible for the majority of these unsolved crimes. Children are often shot in the streets, sometimes while trying to escape from law enforcement officials, despite being unarmed and posing no significant threat to anyone. Others are abducted by car, only to be killed and their bodies dumped in the mountains or other remote areas. They are often brutally tortured. In March, six assassinations were "attributed to the carro asesino, or murder car—a phantom-like vehicle. With two or three unidentified men in civilian clothing inside, the vehicle cruises around the city firing indiscriminately upon any young people with tattoos or baggy pants." For children who have nowhere else to go but the streets, it is almost impossible for them to hide from their would-be murderers, especially since President Maduro has recently increased the number of military personnel on the streets to 6,000 as part of a new "zero tolerance" policy to combat crime. The murder of street children is a problem in neighboring countries as well. Casa Alianza recently released statistics concerning murders in Guatemala. Unfortunately, the numbers are as high as those in Honduras. Harris also suspects that El Salvador is experiencing a high rate of murders, although they have not been documented. A problem ignored "How is it possible that in this country every day armed people kill children and young people and the security forces ... don't know who the executioners are?" Despite the number of killings occurring in Honduras, little has been done to address the situation. The government has failed in its duties and obligations under several international human rights treaties, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child. "How is it possible that in this country every day armed people kill children and young people and the security forces don't capture anyone and don't know who the executioners are?" questioned Andres Pavon of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights in Honduras. The government has continued to claim that most of these deaths are the result of fighting between rival street gangs. In addition, there is a prevalent attitude that this is an acceptable and justifiable way of dealing with juvenile delinquency. The national media has also been complicit in painting an inaccurate portrait of street children and youths as gang members who are responsible for crime. In actuality, only five percent of all crime has been committed by children under the age of 18, a mere two-tenths of a percent were murders. In her report, the Special Rapporteur strongly suggested that the media take a more positive role in examining the deaths of street children and create a more balanced image. "The media must start looking into why the kids are being murdered and why the police have been unwilling or unable to solve these crimes," concurred Harris. The persistence of such abuses also highlights the failure of authorities to adequately prosecute those responsible. In almost all cases, the government has neglected to investigate these deaths, even when they have been provided with clear evidence pointing to the perpetrators. The "lack of investment in the judiciary is a significant factor in the increase of child and youth murders in Honduras," stated Harris. However, despite the attention of the Special Rapporteur, little has changed except an increase in government lip service on the issue. Rather than accepting responsibility and ending impunity, the government has resorted to blaming previous administrations. Shortly after the Special Rapporteur's visit, the Attorney General invited groups working with street children, such as Casa Alianza, to join a special committee to investigate the causes of these murders. "A camel is a horse put together by a committee," is the way Harris described the work of the committee. Meeting a few times since its establishment, the committee have been ineffectual. "Governments love to form a committee which they then see as the end in itself instead of a mechanism to resolve the murders," surmised Harris. Despite a recommendation from the Special Rapporteur, an ombudsman for children has not been established. In addition, three months ago a Special Investigative Unit for Child Murders was formed although they have been unable to solve any of the 15 cases presented to them. Despite a statement by the president to provide more resources to the unit, the number of investigators has actually decreased from five to four. "With 60 percent of the murders still unsolved, the investigative police are totally ineffective or they know who the killers are—which is why they are not investigating." surmised Harris. In finding new ways to pressure the government to address the issue, Casa Alianza is looking to the international community and the Internet. The Special Rapporteur's visit and subsequent report was an important step in advocacy on the issue. "Now the UN is saying that the State allows its children to be murdered, not just Casa Alianza," explained Harris. In addition, a recent report that the European Parliament might consider placing trade restrictions on Honduras was seen as a positive approach by Harris. "Human rights must be related to trade and aid," he said. "A country that allows children to be murdered does not deserve access to markets." In educating the wider public about the crimes against street children, Harris believes that the Internet could play a vital role. "The Internet needs to be flooded with messages to stop the killings and demanding that the government fulfill their legal obligations and bring the perpetrators to justice," he claimed. For their part, Casa Alianza will continue their advocacy work by bringing this issue to the UN Commission on Human Rights hearings set to take place in March 2003. In the meantime, more children will be missing from the streets of Honduras. Will anyone notice? Copyright (c) 2002 Digital Freedom Network (http://dfn.org). All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced or redistributed for online not-for-profit use without prior written consent as long as DFN is recognized with this credit. For information about DFN's permissions policy, see <http://dfn.org/about/permissions.htm>.
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