UNODC Programme to Combat Human Trafficking in Honduras Comes to an End
Tegucigalpa (Honduras), 9 December 2022 – In the Americas, Honduras is one of the countries of origin of victims of human trafficking.
According to the Inter-institutional Commission against Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking in Persons of Honduras (CICESCT), in 2021, about 40 percent of all victims detected in the country were forced into some form of human trafficking for forced labour, such as domestic service.
To strengthen the country’s response to this crime, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with the support of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the United States Department of State, launched MENTHOR.
“MENTHOR is a specialized mentoring programme for prosecutors, law enforcement agents and government officials involved in victim identification and assistance to enhance their skills and abilities in the investigation and prosecuting of human trafficking in Honduras,” said Carlos Perez, UNODC Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer.
Throughout the year, a selected group of 121 criminal justice professionals from different parts of the country were trained by international experts on how to investigate and prosecute complex human trafficking cases.
"The mentorships were facilitated by 14 mentors from 8 countries in the region, including Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia and Costa Rica," said Ivan Williams Maradiaga, MENTHOR Coordinator.
During the training, participants learned specialized investigative techniques for the early detection of human trafficking cases and how to improve the response in comprehensive care for victims. They also focused on how to effectively implement national legislation.
"MENTHOR represents an important milestone in the responsiveness of Honduran justice operators. We have seen the change in the treatment of victims by judges, as well as the consideration of documentary and testimonial evidence in the criminal process," said Rina Lopez, Coordinator of CICESCT's Human Trafficking Immediate Response Team.
Thanks to MENTHOR, Honduras is now better prepared to combat human trafficking.
