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Summary: This report extracts mentions of children's rights issues in the reports of all UN Treaty Bodies and their follow-up procedures. This does not include the Concluding Observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child which are available here: http://www.crin.org/resources/treaties/index.asp
Please note that the language may have been edited in places for the purpose of clarity.
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- UN Committee against Torture
- Un Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture
- UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- UN Human Rights Committee
- UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
- UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- UN Committee on Enforced Disappearance
- UN Committee on Migrant Workers
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(CAT/C/HND/CO/1)
Last reported and adopted: 6 and 7 May 2009
Concluding observations issued: 23 June 2009
Enforced disappearances: While welcoming the State party’s invitation of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances in 2007, the Committee expresses concern at the absence of full reparation for victims and families of enforced or involuntary disappearances under former authoritarian governments before 1982 and, in general, at insufficient investigation, punishment and compensation for these crimes. It further regrets that the State party has not established a truth and reconciliation commission. Moreover, the Committee expresses concern at reports of new cases of enforced and involuntary disappearances, including of children. The Committee further regrets that the Honduran Criminal Code does not contain a specific provision punishing the crime of enforced or involuntary disappearance (arts. 2, 4 and 16). The Committee reiterates the recommendations by the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and is concerned that they have not been fully implemented. The Committee urges the State party to take swift measures to ensure progress in the search of the missing persons, to establish a comprehensive programme of reparation and compensation for the victims and their families, to prevent new instances of enforced or involuntary disappearance and to amend the Honduran Criminal Code in line with the Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. (para 11)
Violence;: The Committee takes note of the establishment of a special unit for the investigation of violent deaths of children within the Honduran Institute for Children and the Family, as well as the establishment of the Municipal Children’s Ombudsman’s Office, in charge of addressing ill-treatment and abuse of children. It is, however, very concerned at persistent reports of a high number of extrajudicial killings, particularly of children, as well as of members of the judiciary and at the information that some victims of extrajudicial killings appear to have been tortured before being killed. It is also very concerned at the absence of effective, thorough and impartial investigations of these incidents (arts. 2, 12 and 16). The State party should take urgent measures to prevent extrajudicial killings, particularly of children, as well as of members of the judiciary, and ensure that thorough impartial investigations of allegations of extrajudicial killings are carried out systematically, and that those responsible are swiftly prosecuted and adequately punished. It further recommends systematic disaggregated data collection on all incidents of violence, including against children. (para 12)
The Committee notes the establishment, in 2006, of the Inter-institutional Commission on Femicide and the Special Investigation Unit to investigate violent deaths of women within the Public Prosecutor’s Office. It also notes the creation of a gender unit within the National Police. Nonetheless, the Committee is very concerned at the prevalence of many forms of violence against women and girls, including sexual abuse, domestic violence and femicide, and at the absence of thorough investigations into the incidence of violence against women (arts. 12, 13 and 16). The State party should increase its efforts to ensure that urgent and efficient protection measures are put in place to prevent, combat and punish perpetrators of violence against women and children, including sexual abuse, domestic violence and femicide, and conduct widespread awareness-raising campaigns and training on violence against women and girls for officials (judges, lawyers, law enforcement agents, and social workers) who are in direct contact with the victims, as well as for the public at large. (para 21)
Trafficking: The Committee recognizes the efforts made by the State party to address trafficking in women and children, such as the prohibition of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation in the Criminal Code and in the Anti-Trafficking Act. However, the Committee is concerned about persistent reports of internal and cross-border trafficking in women and children for both sexual and other exploitative purposes and it regrets that the legal provisions do not cover trafficking for reasons other than sexual purposes and that officials suspected of trafficking activities are not properly investigated (arts. 2, 10 and 16).
Detention: While noting the progress made by the State party since the adoption of the new Code of Criminal Procedure in abolishing the obligatory pretrial detention and establishing the “juez de ejecución”, whose mandate is to monitor the legality of remand detention, the Committee is very concerned at reports of frequent ill-treatment and torture, excessive use of force on arrest, as well as acts of extortion by law enforcement officials and at the persistent high numbers of detainees, both children and adults, in prolonged pretrial detention. It further expresses concern at the various forms of derogations from the general rule for the duration of pretrial detention. The Committee regrets the lack of use, in practice, of alternatives to imprisonment (arts. 2, 11 and 16). (...) (para 14)
The Committee is concerned at the poor conditions of detention, including overcrowding, at times lack of drinking water, insufficient provision of food, poor sanitary conditions, as well as the failure to separate accused persons from convicted ones, women from men and children from adults, in rural areas as well as in police holding cells. Furthermore, the Committee is concerned at the occurrence of inter-prisoner violence and lack of statistical data that may provide a breakdown by relevant indicators to facilitate the determination of root causes and the design of strategies to prevent and reduce such occurrences (arts. 11 and 16). The Committee recommends that the State party: (...)
(c) Ensure the separation in all places of detention of convicts from prisoners on remand, men from women and children from adults; (…) (para 17)
The Committee notes discussions in the State party on changing the provision on “unlawful associations” in article 332 of the Criminal Code. It is however concerned that a suspected member of an “unlawful association” can be arrested without an arrest warrant and that his/her detention on remand is mandatory. It is further concerned at the repressive social policy in combating “unlawful associations”, or “maras” or “pandillas”, which does not adequately consider the root causes of the phenomenon and may criminalize children and young people on the sole ground of their appearance (arts. 11 and 16). (para 19)
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UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture
(CAT/OP/HND/1)
Concluding observations issued: 10 Feburary 2010
Policy Custody: Several detainees in police custody interviewed by the Subcommittee described how they had been beaten during their arrest. One 17-year-old at Metropolitan Division No. 3 in Comayagüela, Tegucigalpa, showed the Subcommittee marks of cudgel blows on his back. He said that he and a friend had been arrested the day before by two policemen who accused them of stealing. They had spent the day selling newspapers and had a small amount of money on them, which the policemen took. On more than one occasion, the Subcommittee found minors aged between 15 and 17 in police custody. (para 30)
Detainment: The Subcommittee was informed in the places visited that men, women and children are normally segregated. However, the Subcommittee noted some cases in which minors of between 15 and 17 years of age were held together with adults. In other cases, women and children were held together in the same cell and, in some police stations, the staff indicated that when children were held in custody, they had to be put in offices as there were no cells available. (para 168)
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UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
CEDAW/C/HND/CO/7-8
Concluding observations published: 18 November 2016
Positive Aspects: The Committee welcomes the progress achieved since the consideration in 2007 of the State party’s combined fourth, fifth and sixth periodic reports in undertaking legislative reforms, in particular the adoption of Executive Decree PCM-057-2015 to eradicate child labour. The Committee welcomes the fact that, in the period since the consideration of the previous report, the State party has ratified or acceded to the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (paras 4, 6).
Access to Justice: The Committee is also concerned about the lack of proper investigation, evidence collection, and forensic facilities and capacities, causing lengthy delays in legal proceedings and re-victimization of women. It is concerned about women’s reluctance to file complaints due to discriminatory attitudes among law enforcement personnel. The Committee recommends that the State party ensure that women and girls have access to differentiated victim and witness assistance and protection programmes and promote the expansion and institutionalization of the pilot comprehensive victim care model; Ensure access to legal aid services to women and girls, undertake awareness-raising campaigns to inform women and girls about their rights under the Convention, and disseminate information on the available legal remedies and their right to file complaints, including against government officials (paras 12, 13).
Nationality: The Committee commends the State party for its nationality law and its efforts to register births. However, the Committee is concerned about the persisting barriers to birth registration, particularly in rural areas and among indigenous and Afro-Honduran communities. It is also concerned about the lack of information provided on the steps taken to ensure that children in border areas and children in a migratory situation, including unaccompanied children participating in return programs, have access to birth registration and personal documents. The Committee is further concerned about the absence of information on monitoring of return and reintegration processes and their impact on family reunification The Committee recommends that the State party ensure that all births are registered in the State party, including in rural areas and indigenous and Afro-Honduran communities. It also recommends that the State party ensure that all children born in exceptional situations, including in a migration context or in border areas, are registered in the National Registry of Persons and provide them with personal documents. It also recommends that the State party monitor return processes and their impact on family reunification with a gender perspective (paras 30, 31).
Education: The Committee welcomes efforts to improve the access of girls and women to inter-cultural bilingual education. The Committee is concerned, however, about the insufficient measures taken to ensure access to education for all girls and to improve the quality of education. It is equally concerned that illiteracy rates and secondary school drop-out rates for girls in rural and remote areas and among indigenous and Afro-Honduran communities remain disproportionately high compared to the rest of the population, often due to poverty, early pregnancy and marriage, and child labour. The Committee is further concerned at the high rates of sexual violence and harassment of girls in and on the way to and from school and notes the absence of effective complaint mechanisms. It also notes with concern the limited integrated sexual and reproductive health education in school curricula. The Committee further notes with concern the absence of information on access to education, including mainstream education, for girls with disabilities (para 32).
The Committee recommends that the State party ensure that girls in rural and remote areas and from indigenous and Afro-Honduran communities have equal access to quality education at both the primary and secondary levels; establish effective reporting and accountability mechanisms to ensure that perpetrators of sexual abuse or harassment of girls in the school environment are prosecuted and adequately punished; Strengthen efforts to retain girls in school and ensure that young mothers can effectively re-enter school following childbirth; Ensure the integration of age-appropriate information and education on sexual and reproductive health and rights for girls and boys within the school curriculum at all levels of education, and train teachers to address such topics in a gender-sensitive manner; and the Committee calls upon the State party to provide information in its next report about the inclusion of women and girls with disabilities in the regular education system, including through awareness-raising and media campaigns. Increase the human, technical and financial resources of the labour inspectorate to investigate and monitor decent working conditions and labour rights of women and girls and detect discriminatory practices against women the field of employment, particularly in the informal sector, and prosecute and adequately punish cases of sexual violence and harassment against women in the workplace and strengthen data collection mechanisms (para 33).
Employment: The Committee notes with concern the persistent gender wage gap, women’s job insecurity linked to illegal pregnancy and HIV-AIDS testing without women’s informed consent in maquila industry in hiring and job retaining procedures, and inadequate working conditions, mainly in maquila industry and including in situations of child labour (para 34)
The Committee recommends that the State party strengthen measures to expedite the adoption and implementation of the Roadmap to eradicate the worst forms of child labour introduced to the Council of Ministers and effectively enforce laws against child labour, particularly in remote geographic areas and labour sectors such as agriculture, domestic work and the maquila industry; The Committee calls upon the State party to provide information in its next report about the inclusion of women and girls with disabilities in the regular education system, including through awareness-raising and media campaigns; Increase the human, technical and financial resources of the labour inspectorate to investigate and monitor decent working conditions and labour rights of women and girls and detect discriminatory practices against women the field of employment, particularly in the informal sector, and prosecute and adequately punish cases of sexual violence and harassment against women in the workplace and strengthen data collection mechanisms (para 35).
Health: The Committee welcomes efforts to reduce the maternal mortality rate. The Committee is concerned, however, that women have limited access to sexual and reproductive health in the State party. It is further concerned about the criminalization of abortion without exceptions resulting in a high number of women and girls seeking unsafe abortion and increasing maternal mortality. Taking into account its statement on sexual and reproductive health and rights, adopted at its fifty-seventh session, in February 2014, the Committee notes that unsafe abortion is a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. As such, the Committee recommends that the State party cnduct an assessment on the impact on the physical and mental health of women and girls of the total criminalization of abortion and the ban on emergency contraception, as well as the free or paid distribution and commercialization of emergency contraception medicines, particularly on women and girls who are victims of sexual abuse, with a view to lifting the ban and criminalization Strengthen initiatives to ensure that adolescents and young women and men, particularly those out of school, have access to accurate information about their sexual and reproductive health and rights, including responsible sexual behaviour (paras 36, 37).
HIV/AIDS: The Committee remains concerned about the high rates of infection of HIV/AIDS among women, and the fact that existing laws and policies to combat HIV/AIDS lack a gender perspective. The Committee is equally concerned about the persisting stigmatization of persons living with HIV/AIDS, which mostly affects women, particularly pregnant women, women in prostitution and Afro-Honduran women. The Committee recommends that the State party ensure equal access for women and men to HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention and free access for women and girls to anti-retroviral medicines to prevent mother-to-child transmission (paras 38, 39).
Rural women: The Committee is concerned about The negative impact on women’s control over land and natural resources because of business and development projects which result in internal displacement of women and girls, forced eviction, labour exploitation, serious health consequences, sexual abuse and violence and trafficking; The Committee recommends that the State party adopt measures to protect the rights of the rural women, including by holding businesses accountable for practices that negatively affect the health, well-being and security of women workers (paras 42, 43).
Disadvantaged groups of women: The Committee is concerned about the specific situation of children, particularly girls, left behind in the State party by migrant family members. It is also concerned about the situation of internally displaced women and children, whose displacement is directly linked to the high rates of violence and crime in the State party, including by gangs or transnational organized crime, and is particularly concerned about the situation of women in the corridor of drugs and violence along the border region. The Committee recommends that the State party collect disaggregated data on the specific situation of children, particularly girls, in the State party left behind by migrant family members (paras 44, 45).
Women in detention: The Committee is concerned at the large number of women in pre-trial detentionand the lack of measures aimed at guaranteeing women’s access to justice. It is also concerned about the insufficient health and sanitary conditions of women in detention, including pregnant women and women detained with their children. The Committee recommends that the State party reduce the length of pretrial detention, finding alternatives to detention, and strengthening the effectiveness and independence of the judiciary. It also recommends that the State party ensure that women in detention have adequate health and sanitary conditions (paras 46, 47).
Marriage and family relations: The Committee notes amendments to the Family Code regarding the economic regime of marriage. However, it is concerned that provisions in the same Code continue to allow for child marriage of girls below the age of 16 years, and notes that such marriages have serious consequences for girls, including as regards their health and education. It notes with concern that same sex couples have no possibility to register their partnerships in the State party. The Committee is also concerned about the absence of implementing regulations for the Responsible Parenthood Act (para 48).
The Committee recommends that the State party adopt and enforce legislation to prohibit child marriages and unify the legal minimum age of marriage at 18 years for women and men; Address the root causes of child marriage and strengthen programmes to promote women’s right to free choice of a spouse and to enter marriage only with their free and full consent, on an equal basis with men (para 49).
(CEDAW/C/HON/CO/6)
Last reported: 26 July 2007
Concluding observations issued: 10 August 2007
Violence: While appreciating the reforms to the Penal Code relating to sexual violence and abuse of 2005, and the reforms to the Law on Domestic Violence of 2006, the Committee continues to be concerned about the prevalence of many forms of violence against women, including sexual abuse against women and girls, particularly incestuous abuse of girls, as well as rape, domestic violence and femicide. The Committee is concerned that the effective implementation of plans and functioning of mechanisms to eliminate violence against women — such as the National Plan to Prevent, Punish and Eradicate Violence against Women (2006-2010), the proposed unit in the Public Prosecutor’s Office to deal with violent crimes against women and specialized domestic violence courts in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula — is hindered by insufficient allocation of resources. While appreciating the efforts of the State party to provide gender-sensitivity training for law enforcement and judicial officials, the Committee continues to be concerned about the negative attitudes of police and magistrates responsible for enforcing the law and applying protection mechanisms for the benefit of women victims of violence, which result in the continuation of impunity for crimes of violence against women. In this regard, the Committee is concerned that only 2.55 per cent of all complaints of domestic violence filed with the police in 2006 have been resolved. The Committee is further concerned that Honduran women may be compelled to migrate because of violence against women. (para 18)
In accordance with general recommendation 19, the Committee calls upon the State party to ensure that all forms of violence against women are criminalized; that women and girls who are victims of violence have access to immediate means of redress and protection; and that perpetrators are prosecuted and punished. The Committee urges the State party to allocate sufficient resources for the effective functioning of plans and mechanisms, including the National Plan to Prevent, Punish and Eradicate Violence against Women and the specialized domestic violence courts, to address all forms of violence against women and girls. The Committee further urges the State party to monitor the application, by law enforcement and judicial officials, of relevant legal measures for the benefit of women victims of violence and ensure that officials who fail to properly apply such measures are appropriately sanctioned. The Committee requests the State party to provide information, in its next periodic report, on the resources, both human and financial, allocated to plans and mechanisms aimed at eliminating violence against women, and the impact of such measures. (para 19)
Trafficking: The Committee calls upon the State party to fully implement article 6 of the Convention, including by speedily enacting specific and comprehensive national legislation on the phenomenon of trafficking (internal and cross-border) that ensures that offenders are punished and victims adequately protected and assisted. It calls upon the State party to consider ratifying the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. The Committee further calls upon the State party to increase its efforts for international, regional and bilateral cooperation with countries of origin, transit and destination to prevent trafficking. The Committee urges the State party to collect and analyse data from the police and international sources, prosecute and punish traffickers, and ensure the protection of the human rights of trafficked women and girls. It recommends that the State party take measures for the rehabilitation and social integration of women and girls who are victims of exploitation and trafficking. The Committee further calls on the State party to take all appropriate measures to suppress exploitation of prostitution of women, including discouraging the male demand for prostitution. (para 21)
Reproductive health: The Committee is concerned about the high rate of teenage pregnancy and its implications for the health and education of girls. The Committee is concerned that efforts to provide sex education in schools, developed by the Ministry of Education, are being impeded by conservative government actors. The Committee is also concerned that abortion is criminalized in all circumstances, including when a pregnancy threatens a woman’s life or health and when it is a result of rape or incest. The Committee is concerned about the high HIV/AIDS infection rates in women and the fact that HIV/AIDS programmes and policies are not specifically targeted at women, with the exception of prostitutes and pregnant women, and do not address the needs of women of ethnic minorities. (para 24)
The Committee urges the State party to step up the provision of family-planning information and services to women and girls, in particular regarding reproductive health and affordable contraceptive methods, and to widely implement sex education targeted at girls and boys, with special attention to the prevention of teenage pregnancy. The Committee calls on the State party to guarantee that its public policies and decisions are in accordance with its Constitution, which establishes it as a secular State. The Committee recommends that the State party consider reviewing the law relating to abortion with a view to identifying circumstances under which abortion could be permitted, such as therapeutic abortions and abortions in cases of pregnancies resulting from rape or incest, and removing punitive provisions imposed on women who undergo abortion, in line with the Committee’s general recommendation 24, on women and health, and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The Committee also urges the State party to provide women with access to quality services for the management of complications arising from unsafe abortions and to reduce women’s maternal mortality rates. The Committee recommends that the State party include a gender perspective in its HIV/AIDS programmes and policies and ensure that such programmes and policies address the needs of women from ethnic minorities. (para 25)
Child labour: The Committee is concerned about the continuing discrimination against women in the labour market, where there is occupational segregation and a persistent wage gap between men and women. It is concerned about the concentration of women in the informal sector and in domestic work with no social security or other benefits provided under the Labour Code. The Committee is also concerned about the existence of child labour, in particular the exploitation and abuse of girls working in domestic service, and the exploitation of the predominantly female workers in the maquiladoras. (para 28)
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(CCPR/C/HND/CO/1)
Last reported:16 and 17 October 2006
Concluding Observations adopted: 27 October 2006
Violence: The Committee takes note of the establishment of the Commission for the Physical and Moral Protection of Children and other bodies to investigate children’s deaths. However, it is concerned at the persistently high number of extrajudicial executions of children, which apparently target street children and members of youth gangs in particular (articles 6 and 24 of the Covenant).
The Committee urges the State party to investigate all cases of extrajudicial executions of children, prosecute those responsible and ensure that the relatives of the victims receive fair and adequate compensation. The Committee recommends that the State party consider the possibility of establishing an independent mechanism, such as a children’s ombudsman. The State party should ensure that incidents of this kind do not occur in the future. It should hold training courses for officials who deal with children. It should also conduct campaigns to raise awareness of this problem among the general public. (para 9)
The Committee notes with concern the excessive use of force and firearms by security forces and prison staff, as a recurrent practice, including beatings and killings, particularly in adult penitentiaries and juvenile detention centres. It is particularly concerned that no measures have been taken to punish those responsible for the incidents at El Porvenir and San Pedro Sula prisons. Another cause for concern is the failure to apply in practice the Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials (articles 6 and 7 of the Covenant).
The State party should supply and keep track of all weapons belonging to police forces and provide them with appropriate human rights training in accordance with the Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials. The State party should ensure that allegations of excessive use of force are thoroughly investigated and that those responsible are prosecuted. The victims of such practices, or their relatives, should receive fair and adequate compensation. (para 10)
Street children: The Committee notes with concern the situation of street children, of whom there are an alarming number. Such children are at the greatest risk of violence and are vulnerable to sexual exploitation (articles 7, 8 and 24 of the Covenant).
The State party should take urgent and appropriate steps to identify the causes of the growing number of street children, develop programmes to address those causes, provide shelter for the children, identify, compensate and assist the victims of sexual abuse and bring those responsible to justice. (para 11)
Child labour: The Committee notes with concern the alarming spread of child labour, particularly in rural and indigenous communities (articles 8 and 24 of the Covenant).
The State party should take urgent steps to eliminate child labour and ensure that all children of school age attend school. (para 12)
Detention: The Committee is concerned at the frequent use of arrest on suspicion by members of the security forces, including mass round-ups based on appearance alone and with no warrant from a competent authority. It notes with concern the broad wording of new article 332 of the Criminal Code, which establishes the offence of “unlawful association”, on the basis of which large numbers of juveniles have reportedly been detained, along with human rights activists and homosexuals (articles 9 and 26 of the Covenant).
The State party should ensure that detentions are carried out in accordance with the provisions of article 9 of the Covenant and that those detained are brought before a court without delay. It should also consider the possibility of amending article 332 of the Criminal Code so as to restrict the definition of the offence of unlawful association. (para 13)
The Committee is concerned about prison conditions in the State party, namely, overcrowding, unsatisfactory conditions of imprisonment, including at times a lack of drinking water or sanitation, the failure to separate accused persons from convicts and the practice of keeping prisoners in isolation for prolonged periods. It is also concerned at the ease with which prisoners can obtain firearms and drugs. The situation of juveniles deprived of their liberty gives particular cause for concern (articles 7 and 10 of the Covenant). (...) (para 15)
Birth registration: The Committee takes note of the State party’s efforts to register all births. It regrets, however, the persistently high number of unregistered children, particularly in rural areas and indigenous communities (articles 16, 24 and 27 of the Covenant).
The Committee recommends that the State party adopt the necessary programme and budgetary measures to ensure birth registration, including the registration of adults. (para 18)
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UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
(E/C.12/1/Add.57)
Last reported: 25 and 26 April 2001
Concluding Observations adopted: 9 May 2001
Exploitation: The Committee is alarmed about the high number of children who are forced to work to support themselves, and in particular about the serious situation of street children and the existence of street gangs (maras). In this regard, the Committee is also gravely concerned about the high incidence of sexual abuse, exploitation and prostitution of children in the State party, and about the lack of a national plan to address these issues. (para 20)
The Committee urges the State party to undertake urgent measures to introduce rehabilitation programmes for street children. The Committee also urges the State party to address the issue of sexual abuse, exploitation and prostitution of children by adopting a national plan to combat the problem, including collecting relevant data and conducting a thorough study of the issue. (para 40)
Reproductive health: The Committee also expresses its concern about the problems encountered by the State party in its efforts to implement its reproductive health policy, including the distribution and use of condoms, as a result of resistance by certain religious institutions, and the fact that educational programmes often only target women. In this regard, the Committee is also concerned about the high rate of teenage pregnancy and that those girls are deprived of the opportunity to continue their education. (para 27)
The Committee recommends that the State party continue to implement its reproductive health policy, with a particular focus on young persons, and that it develop training programmes and counselling services in this regard for both men and women. (para 48)
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UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
(CERD/C/HND/CO/1-5)
Last reported: 13 May 2013
Concluding Observations issued: 13 March 2014
Structural discrimination: The Committee observes how the conditions of poverty and social exclusion most drastically affect indigenous and Afro-Honduran communities (especially the Garifuna people and English-speaking Afrodescendents). According to information provided by the State Party, poverty affects 88.7 per cent of indigneous and Afro-Honduran children (10.4 per cent relative poverty and 78.4 extreme poverty). The poverty phenomenon, according to the information provided, is a particular concern in relation to children of the Tolupán, Lenca y Pech indigenous peoples, which present a poverty level higher than 88 per cent. (para. 7)
The Committee urges the State Party to continue implementing policies that work towards social inclusion and development [with culture] and identity, which reduce the levels of inequality and poverty and aim to combat a history of structural discrimination within the State Party. To this end, the Committee also recommends the adoption of action plans that aim to break the link between poverty and racism through, among other things, the adoption of special measures of affirmative action, taking into account its General Recommendations n.32 (2009) regarding the significance and reach of the special measures contained in the Convention and n.34 (2011) addressing racial discrimination against Afrodescendents. Such actions include measures of multilingual intercultural education, taking into account the need to strengthen or revive the languages of indigenous populations and those of Afro-Honduran communities. (para. 7)
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UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Ratified in 2008, but not yet reported
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UN Committee on Enforced Disappearance
Ratified in 2008, but not yet reported
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UN Committee on Migrant Workers
Reviewed in September 2016, report not available in English.