When Gangs Rule, Murder Reigns

San Pedro Sula, Honduras, has the highest murder rate in the world.
San Pedro Sula, Honduras, has the highest murder rate in the world.
Image: Shutterstock

Latin American country Honduras, in particular the city of San Pedro Sula, is suffering from the highest rate of murder reported globally.  The city is estimated to have 65,000 gang members, hundreds of whom are over-crowding the country’s jails.  The Honduran government has little resources to battle the growing problem, and many say that because the United States and Mexico expel drug cartels from their borders, violent offenders are moving south into poorer countries.
  
One of the two main rival gangs, in fact, was started in Los Angeles.  The “Calle 18,” or 18th Street Gang, has thousands of members who were deported from the California city, once plagued with gang violence itself.  18th Street and rival gang Mara Salvatrucha have been at territorial war for several years.  

Gangs in San Pedro Sula are calling for a cease fire.
Gangs in San Pedro Sula are calling for
a cease fire.
Image: Shutterstock
Gangs have infiltrated police forces and the criminal justice system in Honduras, and as of now only about 2 of every 100 criminal cases ends in a conviction.  Meanwhile, average citizens of Honduras are squeezed financially by the gangs forcing them to pay “taxes” for traveling around the city or running a business. San Pedro Sula alone reported over 1,200 murders last year.
  
In a country where gang members can hold press conferences, there is now discussion of a truce in the world’s murder capital.  Representatives from both gangs have called a cease fire, but have also asked the government to help gang members rehabilitate and find honest work.  This may promising as the Honduran economy continues to grow, in spite of concerns about crime and a weak government.  The agricultural industry is strong, and several factories have moved in.  In El Salvador, a truce for the gangs was called a little over a year ago and has reduced the murder rate by fifty percent.

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