00:00According to the National Human Rights Commissioner of Honduras, at least 500 teachers and thousands
00:06of students across various regions of the country have been forced to relocate due to
00:10threats from criminal groups.
00:12Haraldot Oreselaya reports from Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
00:17In Honduras, maras and criminal groups are ceasing control of territories across the
00:22country, using violence displacing thousands of people and targeting schools as new operational
00:28hubs, according to a report by the National Human Rights Commissioner.
00:35Regarding teachers, there are over 500 cases nationwide that have been affected, though
00:40they are concentrated in five of the country's departments.
00:43As for the children, we are working on a document we plan to release.
00:47I also know that this issue is concentrated in practically those same departments, and
00:52the number of affected children could reach into the thousands.
00:55Fort displacement in Honduras has been a recurrent issue in recent history.
00:59The primary causes are poverty and insecurity, two factors that have worsened considerably
01:04during the first eight months of this administration.
01:09Operations are being carried out in neighborhoods and communities where incidents have been reported.
01:16These efforts focus on neutralizing threats while also identifying and apprehending those
01:22responsible.
01:25Just moments ago, in the Villanueva neighborhood, the organized crime agency, which brings together
01:30the country's various security and justice institutions, succeeded in capturing members of a terrorist
01:36organization, specifically the MARA 18th, linked to the issue of forced displacement.
01:43However, alongside this criminal activity, we must note that very few formal complaints are actually
01:49filed with the National Police.
01:54Honduran teachers' organizations are demanding that the government take more decisive action,
01:59as teachers are living in a state of high vulnerability.
02:04This year, the education system has come under severe attack.
02:11We have witnessed and received reports of fellow teachers being murdered in the classroom in front
02:15of their students.
02:20This fills the entire educational community with fear, and the teaching profession nationwide is outraged
02:28by these events.
02:32We know that security must go hand in hand with education, and we have consistently called for
02:39priority to be given to our young people, our children, and our fellow teachers.
02:48The killing of teachers and the forced displacement of entire communities are signs of a security
02:54crisis gripping the country, one that is becoming impossible for the authorities to hide or contain.
03:01For Telecero in English, from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Gerardo Torres Zelaya.
