The measure, announced by President Xiomara Castro in November 2022, partially mirrored controversial security policies implemented in neighbouring El Salvador. While El Salvador has seen a dramatic reduction in violent crime and increased human rights abuses by security forces, Honduras appears only to have seen the latter.
Honduras’s place on Central America’s drug trafficking route will limit the impact of domestic policies on organised crime.
Stubborn insecurity will prolong high levels of outward migration.
Plans for the construction of an island prison will play to those seeking tougher security moves but may increase human rights concerns.
Castro's perceived failure to address high rates of femicide could damage her image as a defender of women's rights.
