Attachment_6.C_-_USAID-Honduras_CDCS.pdf

Country Development Cooperation Strategy

2015– 2019 Updated: May 11, 2016

Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... i

DEVELOPMENT HYPOTHESIS AND CONTEXT

DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE 1: CITIZEN SECURITY INCREASED FOR VULNERABLE

POPULATIONS IN URBAN, HIGH-CRIME AREAS

INTERMEIATE RESULT 1.1: RESILIENCE OF COMMUNITIES AND INDIVIDUALS TO CRIME INCREASED . 9 Sub-Intermediate Result 1.1.1: Community Structures that Mitigate against Crime Increased Sub-Intermediate Result 1.1.2: Quality Services that Protect against Violence Increased

INTERMEIATE RESULT 1.2: PERFORMANCE OF NATIONAL AND MUNICIPAL JUSTICE AND SECURITY

SYSTEMS IMPROVED

Sub-Intermediate Result 1.2.1: Citizen Engagement with the Security and Justice Sectors Improved Sub-Intermediate Result 1.2.2: Efficiency of Security and Justice Systems Improved Sub-Intermediate Result 1.2.3: Effective Community Police Presence Increased

DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE 2: EXTREME POVERTY SUSTAINABLY REDUCED FOR

VULNERABLE POPULATIONS IN WESTERN HONDURAS

INTERMEIATE RESULT 2.1: RESILIENCE OF LIVELIHOODS INCREASED

Sub-Intermediate Result 2.1.1: Natural Resource Management and Biodiversity Protection Improved Sub-Intermediate Result 2.1.2: Adaptation of Poor Households to Climate Risks Increased

INTERMEIATE RESULT 2.2: INCOMES INCREASED

Sub-Intermediate Result 2.2.1: Agricultural Productivity Improved Sub-Intermediate Result 2.2.2: Market Demand and Access Increased

INTERMEIATE RESULT 2.3: HUMAN CAPITAL IMPROVED, WITH A FOCUS ON CHILDREN

Sub-Intermediate Result 2.3.1: Basic Education and Nutrition Service Delivery Improved Sub-Intermediate Result 2.3.2: Local Service Management Systems Improved

MONITORING, EVALUATION, AND LEARNING

ANNEXES

ANNEX A: LIST OF ANALYSES CONDUCTED

ANNEX B: USAID FORWARD

ANNEX C: TARGET AREA MAP

ANNEX D: BIBLIOGRAPHY

ANNEX E: DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE 3

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ACRONYMS

AECID

A4P

Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation Plan of the Alliance for Prosperity in the Northern Triangle

CABEI Central American Bank for Economic Integration CARSI Central American Regional Security Initiative

CIDA

CNA

Canadian International Development Agency National Council for Anti-Corruption

CSOs civil society organizations DOs development objectives DG democracy and governance EFA Education For All EU European Union FAO Food and Agriculture Organization FHIS Honduran Social Investment Fund FOPRIDEH Federation of Private Development Organizations of Honduras FTF Feed the Future FUNADEH National Foundation for the Development of Honduras FY Fiscal Year G2G government to government GiZ German Agency for Cooperation GOH Government of Honduras IDB Inter-American Development Bank IFPRI International Food Policy Research Institute INL Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs IR intermediate result JICA Japanese International Cooperation Agency KfW German Development Bank

LGBT

MACCIH

lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Mission to Support the Fight against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras

MCA-H

MP

Millennium Challenge Account of Honduras (now known as INVEST-H) Public Prosecutor’s Office (Ministerio Publico)

MSMEs micro, small and medium enterprises

NGO

OAS

OGP

non-governmental organization Organization of American States Open Government Partnership

OTI

ONADICI

USAID Office of Transition Initiatives The National Office of Integrated Internal Controls

PAHO Pan-American Health Organization PIO public international organization RNP National Registry of People

TSC

TSE

Supreme Audit Institution Supreme Electoral Tribunal

USAID United States Agency for International Development USG United States Government i

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Honduras’ fragile democracy is increasingly threatened by alarming levels of crime and violence, high levels of poverty and food insecurity, corruption, and generally weak governance.

These threats to citizen security and economic development are so severe that the Government of Honduras (GOH) has requested outside assistance to address them. Failure to adequately counter these threats directly impacts U.S. security and other national interests. The USAID/Honduras Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) goal is a more prosperous and safer Honduras that advances inclusive social and economic development among vulnerable populations. USAID /Honduras’ emphasis extends to the social and economic development of vulnerable populations, those most at risk of crime and violence and those living below the poverty line, within Honduras to ensure that the economic trajectory of the country is not only upward but also equitable, inclusive, and sustainable. In order to achieve the CDCS goal, USAID will work towards three Development Objectives (DOs):

• DO 1: Citizen Security Increased For Vulnerable Populations In Urban, High-Crime Areas

• DO 2: Extreme Poverty Sustainably Reduced For Vulnerable Populations In Western

Honduras

• DO 3: National-level public administration is more transparent and accountable

The CDCS in many ways anticipated the principles of the U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central America, approved by the U.S. National Security Council in late 2014. The three pillars of security, prosperity, and governance are reflected in our CDCS: security issues are reflected for the most part in Development Objective 1; prosperity as it relates to poverty reduction is reflected in Development Objective 2; and governance is both integrated throughout DO1 and DO2 and is also reflected in DO3 with its focus on strengthening national-level public administration and enhancing civil society’s influence on government decision-making.

Complementing the USG strategy, the GOH, together with the Governments of El Salvador and Guatemala, presented their own strategy, the Alliance for Prosperity, which calls for more rapid economic growth to mitigate poverty and crime in order to reduce the underlying causes behind migration to the USA. The USAID/Honduras CDCS for FYs 2015-2019 also reflects the goals of the U.S. Embassy’s FY 2014-2016 and FY 2017-2019 Integrated Country Strategies.

Indeed, the momentum that has led to increased attention to the serious issues that persist in Honduras provides an opportunity for USAID/Honduras to strategically utilize additional resources resulting from the implementation of these regional plans.

In pursuit of the development goal, USAID collaborates and coordinates with a cross-sector of actors involved in resolving development challenges in Honduras. This includes other USG agencies such as the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, the Departments of Agriculture and the Treasury, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation, as well as USG security and defense agencies. The success of this strategy will also rely upon strong partnerships with the GOH at national and local levels, community organizations and civil society, and the private sector.

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DO1 programs will concentrate in high-density urban areas with notably high crime rates.

These are Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, Choloma, Tela, and La Ceiba. USAID/Honduras will empower those populations most vulnerable to crime and violence in Honduras with resources and opportunities to reduce their risk of becoming victims or perpetrators of crime or violence in their communities. Under DO1, USAID will scale-up successful programs which provide educational and off-street social opportunities for at risk youth, community infrastructure that mitigates crime, schools and classroom infrastructure to increase access for youth beyond the sixth grade, social services to address household and gender based violence, community policing, and public financial management in the GOH security and justice agencies.

While USAID/Honduras recognizes extreme poverty can be found throughout the country, activities under DO2 will be strategically focused on the six western departments, given the severe poverty, under-nutrition, and low education indicators in this geographic area. DO2 activities will be designed so that the poor will acquire the tools to sustainably increase their incomes through improved resource management and human capacity. National-level institutions will be assisted to scale-up and become more effective in the region, in many cases by decentralizing authority to local governments and institutions. This five–year period of USAID intervention will result in a reduction of both the number of families living on less than $1.25 per day per person (the international poverty level) and suffering malnutrition, as well as increased school completion rates and local government capacity.

DO3 programs will concentrate on national-level public administration and institutions to improve budget transparency and strengthen accountability systems. DO3 will complement DO1 and DO2 local level efforts where they relate to auditing and oversight of public policies and programs. This is particularly relevant to improving the transparency of the security and justice sector and the management of public funds for social programs. There are clear links with DO2’s work on strengthening municipal public financial management systems, which impact resource allocation and spending for nutrition and education for example. There are also links with DO1’s focus on strengthening the efficiency of security and justice systems as DO3 will bolster the capacity of the Supreme Audit Institution and Public Prosecutor’s Office to apply and enforce sanctions when there is corruption or public resources are mismanaged.

DO3 will empower a broad range of actors to serve as watch dogs and advocate for change based on evidence-based analysis in collaboration with local and national-level stakeholders.

The three DOs incorporate a well-reasoned mix of short- and long-term strategies to address the fundamental root causes of weak institutions, corruption, crime, violence, and poverty.

Guided by USAID’s principles to maximize our impact through more strategic, focused, and result-oriented approaches, USAID/Honduras will strengthen integration among democracy and governance, economic growth, education, health, and CARSI (Central America Regional Security Initiative) activities which all contribute to crime prevention under DO1, poverty reduction under DO2 and improved transparency and accountability of public administration under DO3.

The GOH has offered to increase their significant counterpart contributions for a scaling-up of these activities.

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This CDCS is a living document that will be adapted to a progressive learning agenda, changes in the Honduran environment, as well as USG policies and resource availability.

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DEVELOPMENT HYPOTHESIS AND CONTEXT

DEVELOPMENT HYPOTHESIS

If citizen security and accelerated, sustainable poverty reduction for vulnerable populations are increased, and public administration is more transparent and accountable to citizens, then Honduras will be a safer and more prosperous country that advances inclusive social and economic development.

The three DOs incorporate a well-reasoned mix of short- and long-term strategies to address the fundamental root causes of weak institutions, corruption, crime, violence, and poverty. In the short term, those segments of the population most vulnerable to crime and violence in Honduras must be empowered with resources and opportunities to reduce their risk of becoming victims or perpetrators of crime or violence in their communities. In addition, those segments of the population living in poverty must be given the tools to sustainably increase their incomes through improved resources management and human capacity. To ensure the long-term sustainability of crime, violence, and poverty reduction, the GOH must earn the confidence of its citizens by: becoming more effective, transparent, and accountable; improving its democratic processes; and increasing access to basic services, particularly education, infrastructure, and nutrition.

The western highlands have some unique characteristics that set it apart from other regions of Honduras, but it is not immune to violence. The homicide rate in Western Honduras is lower than in the urban municipalities in other parts of the country, but domestic violence and various forms of child abuse are very common. This violence experienced at home has a direct impact on student achievement. Through internal migration from rural Honduras to peri-marginal communities in the cities, rural violence morphs into the violent urban behaviors addressed by DO1. While violence reduction is not a direct expected outcome of DO2, USAID/Honduras will design interventions that keep these dynamics in mind.

DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES

Below are brief descriptions of the main development challenges in Honduras, in particular citizen insecurity, food insecurity, poor access to basic services, corruption, and impunity. The lack of a professional civil service, which is a result of non-merit hiring practices and recurrent high turn-over with each change in GOH administration, is a contributing factor to the GOH’s inability to adequately address these challenges. These challenges are discussed in greater detail in the DO sections.

• Crime and Violence, Insecurity, Impunity, and Corruption: Transnational gangs and narcotics trafficking, crime and violence committed by gangs and drug traffickers, and impunity have escalated to critical levels in Honduras.1 The United Nations reports that in

1 Crime and Violence in Central America: A Development Challenge. World Bank. 2011. 7. Print.

2013 Honduras had the highest murder rate in the world, at 79 killings per 100,000 inhabitants2 - an average of 18 murders a day - which costs the country 9.6 percent of its gross domestic product, has an incalculable effect on the potential growth of Honduras’ business sector, erodes the legitimacy and authority of government institutions and threatens the protection of basic human rights. In addition to the extremely high homicide rates, Honduras also has a high prevalence of many other types of crime, such as domestic violence, extortion, and trafficking in persons that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations.

• Poverty, Vulnerability, and Lack of Access to Basic Services: Poverty robs Hondurans of the opportunity to lead productive lives, and its consequences, such as malnutrition, severely impact the development trajectory of the next generation. Two-thirds of Hondurans live in poverty while 23 percent of children under five years of age suffer from chronic malnutrition.3 In addition, approximately 30 percent of the Honduran population lacks access to permanent, quality health services. The total health expenditure per capita in Honduras, including both public and private sources, is one of the lowest in the region.

Finally, less than one-third of children who complete primary school meet grade level standards and less than one quarter of Hondurans finish high school.

• Fragile Democracy and Lack of Confidence in Government Institutions: According to the 2012 Americas Barometer, only 7.2 percent of Hondurans expressed a high level of political tolerance and a high level of political system support, a 20 percent decrease from 2010 and the lowest percentage in the Americas.4 Political tolerance refers to tolerance for opposing political perspectives and support for concepts like freedom of speech and freedom to protest. Hondurans' reported confidence level in the central government was only 36.5 points, on a scale from 0 to 100. Reasons for low citizen confidence in the GOH include perceptions of fiscal mismanagement, corruption, lack of transparency, and the government’s inability to provide security and other basic services to its people.

FOCUSING AND PRIORITIZING DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS

Guided by USAID’s principles to maximize our impact through more strategic, focused, and result-oriented approaches, USAID/Honduras will strengthen integration among the democracy and governance, health, economic growth, and education technical sectors, which all contribute to crime prevention under DO1, poverty reduction under DO2, and more transparent and accountable public administration in DO3. This integrated approach towards citizen security, poverty reduction, and strengthened accountability will focus on geographic areas where USAID/Honduras can have the greatest impact, the most vulnerable populations within these areas, and the development challenges that can best be addressed by USAID/Honduras’ efforts, including strengthening targeted national-level institutions. The list of the analyses conducted to identify the problems that will be addressed can be found in

2UNAH and National Police Violence Observatory. 24 (March 2012). Web. 2014.

3 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS)2012-2013. Web.

4 "Americas Barometer 2012 - Honduras." Vanderbilt University. Latin American Public Opinion Project. 2012. Web.

Annex A. The prioritization of efforts also takes into consideration USAID’s core values as outlined by USAID Forward. A closer analysis of this strategy’s alignment with USAID Forward can be found in Annex B.

The results of this effort to integrate and focus are summarized below.

1) DO1 programs will concentrate in high-density urban areas with verifiable gang presence and notably high homicide rates. Low population density areas with narco-trafficking routes will be mostly excluded from programming as USAID/Honduras has identified limited opportunities for positive, cost-effective impact in these areas and to avoid duplication of effort with other USG entities that have primary responsibility for anti-trafficking efforts.

2) While extreme poverty can be found throughout the 18 departments of Honduras, DO2 activities will be conducted only in the six departments of Western Honduras, given the severe poverty and under-nutrition in those departments and in order to leverage USAID/Honduras’ past investments and future cross-sectoral interventions. Some targeted assistance to national-level institutions may continue to be implemented if a direct contribution to USAID/Honduras' local-level efforts is identified.

3) Within the DO2 geographical focus, USAID/Honduras will prioritize those municipalities where poverty and under-nutrition rates are the most severe and where USAID identifies municipal-level counterparts who are eager to engage. This will include municipalities that have been the focus of USAID/Honduras assistance in the agriculture sector, but that may now be receiving assistance for the first time from other sectors.

4) USAID/Honduras investments in education have traditionally coupled national-level policy reform and broadly spread technical interventions, with a limited focus on particular populations or geographic areas. This will no longer be the case. However, some targeted assistance to national-level institutions may continue to be implemented if a direct linkage and impact to USAID/Honduras' local level-efforts is identified.

5) While USAID/Honduras views maternal and child health and family planning interventions to be of critical importance to development, given the Agency's decision to prioritize health funding for other regions, USAID/Honduras' maternal and child health and family planning programs have been eliminated. In addition, the Mission’s private sector competitiveness efforts have been eliminated in favor of an increased focus on Global Climate Change.

6) DO3 programs will concentrate on strengthening national level institutions responsible for oversight and accountability to include the Supreme Audit Institution (TSC), the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP), and non-governmental actors, including the National Anti- Corruption Council (CNA), academia, and the media who monitor and evaluate government performance.

GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS IN DETAIL

USAID/Honduras will have a two-pronged approach to its geographic focus. For DO1, it will focus on at-risk “hot spot” urban areas where crime and violence statistics are among the highest in the country. This includes communities within the two largest cities, Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, as well as communities along the “Northern Corridor”; e.g., in Choloma, Tela, and La Ceiba. For DO2, USAID/Honduras will focus on the six departments in Western Honduras which exhibit high poverty, under-nutrition, and climate change vulnerability, and where conditions present the greatest return on investment. The six western departments - Ocotepeque, Copan, Santa Barbara, Lempira, Intibucá, and La Paz - are defined as the Feed the Future (FTF) zone of influence. Within these six departments, select municipalities will be supported to increase responsive governance and service provision in areas such as education, nutrition, water and sanitation, and to reduce gender equity gaps and empower youth and women. A map of the CDCS focus areas can be found in Annex C. Biodiversity and global climate change vulnerabilities to income growth will be addressed in the FTF zone of influence, as appropriate.

CRITICAL ASSUMPTIONS

• The GOH increases the efficiency of budgetary allocations in the justice, security, agricultural, health, and education sectors, decentralizes service provision, and increases its counterpart contribution to USAID/Honduras and other donor efforts in these sectors.

• The GOH is committed to combating corruption under multiple initiatives, including the Open Governance Partnership (OGP), Alliance for Prosperity (A4P) Plan, and the Organization of American States (OAS)-supported Mission to Support the Fight against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH).

• The GOH will avoid a financial crisis of large proportions, such as a default on its international loan payments, by maintaining and/or improving its fiscal management practices.

• A cataclysmic natural disaster on a scale similar scale to that of Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which set back Honduras’ economic development and undermined donor investment by decades will not occur.

• USG support for Honduras’s citizen security efforts will not be undermined by extrajudicial abuses and violations of human rights. Likewise, if the new GOH administration successfully threatens organized crime directly, retaliation from criminal organizations could undermine Honduran governance and stability by conducting high-profile acts of terrorism, as demonstrated in previous years in Colombia and Mexico.

Goal-Level Indicator If Honduras is a more prosperous and safer country, that promotes inclusive development, the Mission expects to see improvements in the following:

• The UN Human Development Index

• Poverty head count ratio

• Homicide rate

• World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators

DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE 1: CITIZEN SECURITY

INCREASED FOR VULNERABLE POPULATIONS IN URBAN,

HIGH-CRIME AREAS

Although drug trafficking and gang activity, which includes local micro-trafficking of narcotics5 and extortion, are the main causes of violent crime in Honduras, a combination of socio-economic and governance conditions have enabled and amplified the impact of this violence.6 These conditions come from the accumulation of risk factors and the lack of protective factors at the individual, relational (family/peer), community, and societal levels. These risk factors include socio-economic elements such as deep social inequalities, lack of opportunities, and lack of access to quality services.

This situation is aggravated by the institutional crisis faced by the national and municipal security and justice systems, which are plagued by gravely insufficient resources, corruption, human rights violations, abysmal working conditions, low credibility, and high public mistrust.

In addition, transnational crime organizations have infiltrated many of these systems. Since

5Referred to as “narcomenudeo.”

6 Based on interviews with the INL Anti-Gang Unit in 2013.

DO1: Citizen security increased for vulnerable populations in urban, high-crime areas

IR 1.1: Resilience of communities and individuals to crime increased

Sub-IR 1.1.1: Community structures that mitigate against crime improved

Sub-IR 1.1.2: Quality services that protect against violence increased

IR 1.2:

Performance of national and municipal justice and security systems improved

Sub-IR 1.2.1: Citizen engagement with the justice and security sectors improved

Sub-IR 1.2.2: Efficiency of security and justice systems improved

Sub-IR 1.2.3: Effective community police presence increased citizen security and effective governance are closely linked, GOH legitimacy hinges on its ability to provide basic security to its citizens, among other areas of service provision.7

DEVELOPMENT HYPOTHESIS

DO1 is based on the premise that if the resilience8 of communities and individuals to crime is increased (Intermediate Result (IR) 1.1) and the performance of national and municipal security systems is improved (IR 1.2), then citizen security for populations in urban, high-crime areas will increase. The focus on vulnerable populations for this DO constitutes a focus on those who are most at risk of being victims and perpetrators of violence, particularly women and youth.

The success of DO1 depends on implementing sustainable models, replicable by local organizations, that : 1) improve community safety infrastructure (e.g., new streetlights); 2) increase access to quality services aimed at reducing violence risk factors and strengthening resiliencies of target communities and at-risk youth; 3) improve the effectiveness and transparency of the security and justice sectors; 4) increase active citizen engagement and oversight of institutions; and 5) prevent violent crime with specific, targeted community policing initiatives. The achievement of these goals, along with the DO2 objective of poverty reduction in Western Honduras, will create a more prosperous and safer Honduras that advances inclusive social and economic development, especially among vulnerable populations.

DO1 is designed to address the alarming citizen security reality Honduras faces. Honduras has the highest murder rate in the world at 79 homicides per 100,000 people in 2013. Violent acts are primarily concentrated in low-income, urban areas and primarily perpetrated by young males against other young males. In 2012, 58 percent of homicides in the country were concentrated in five percent of the country’s municipalities, and 91.6 percent of homicide victims were males, the majority between 15 and 34 years of age.9 In addition to being the primary victims of violence, young males who are neither in school nor employed are especially vulnerable to engaging in illicit income generating activities (micro-trafficking of narcotics, smuggling, and petty crime) or joining gangs.10

Activities under DO1 will be aligned with and support a number of GOH policies and programs, including Country Vision Objectives 1, 2, 3, and 4; the 2011-2022 National Citizen Security and Coexistence Policy; The National Health Plan 2014-2018; and The Second National Plan for Gender Equity and Equality. In this manner, USAID/Honduras seeks long-term, strategic sustainability of programs through integration with existing GOH policies and programs.

7“The Political Culture of Democracy in the Americas 2012: Towards Equality of Opportunity.” Vanderbilt University.Latin American Public Opinion Project. (2012): 111-113, 160. Print.

8 USAID/Honduras defines “resilience” in line with the overarching USAID definition: the ability of people, households, communities, countries and systems to mitigate, adapt to and recover from shocks and stresses in a manner that reduces chronic vulnerability and facilitates inclusive growth.

9UNAH and National Police Violence Observatory (2012). 28(January 2013): 3. Web. 2014.

10Honduran Human Development Report 2008/2009 Overview: From Social Exclusion to a Youth Citizenship.

Tegucigalpa: UNDP, 2008/2009. 42. Print.

GENDER AND VULNERABLE POPULATIONS CONSIDERATIONS

USAID/Honduras considers both gender and age to be critical factors when working in the security and justice sector. The power relationships, roles, and status of men, women, and populations of different gender identity and sexual orientations have a strong effect on their interactions with the security and justice systems and their access to resources that reduce critical risk factors of violence. Young males in particular are most susceptible to becoming victims of crime and violence and most at-risk for engaging in crime and violence.

Additionally, violence against children, women, and other vulnerable populations is on the rise.

In 2011, women were the victims in 88 percent of domestic violence cases and 81 percent of sexual violence cases.11 Seventy-four percent of victims of sexual violence are between the ages of 10 and 19.12 Of the approximately 20,000 domestic violence complaints a year, only 15- 20 percent received some form of resolution.13 Between 2007 and 2011, sexual crimes against women grew by 21 percent.14 Likewise, Honduras has one of the highest rates of homicides of women in Latin America.15 Statistics from the Honduras National Autonomous University’s Violence Observatory show a 246 percent increase in homicides of women in the last seven years (an increase from 175 deaths in 2005 to 606 deaths in 2012).16 This means that on average, approximately 51 women are killed in Honduras each month; 97 percent of these cases remain unsolved.17

According to the 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report, Honduras is also a source and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. The routes used for human trafficking coincide with those identified with the movement of illegal drugs, migrants, weapons and other forms of organized crime. In 2012, Honduras ratified a law against human trafficking; however, no consistent or systematic collection of national experiences on prevention, criminal prosecution and assistance to victims of human trafficking crimes currently exists.

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community faces its own set of violence issues in Honduras. Protests by LGBT activists focus on the fact that 186 homosexuals were murdered between 2009 and 2012 and the majority of the cases remain unsolved.18 Research

11“Special Bulletin on violent deaths of women.”Special Edition No. 4.College of Social Sciences, University Institute on Democracy.UNAH and National Police Violence Observatory (2012). Print.

12 Ibid.

13 Toledo, Patsilí. “Las Leyes que Tipifican el Femicidio y la Realidad Latinoamericana: Avances y Desafíos.”

Campaña Nacional Contra los Femcidios. Contra los Femicidios. 22 March 2013. Web. 2014.

14“Special Bulletin on violent deaths of women.”Special Edition No. 4.College of Social Sciences, University Institute on Democracy.UNAH and National Police Violence Observatory (2012). Print.

15Toledo, Patsilí.“Las Leyes que Tipifican el Femicidio y la Realidad Latinoamericana: Avances y Desafíos.”

Campaña Nacional Contra los Femcidios. Contra los Femicidios. 22 March 2013. Web. 2014.

16 Paredes, Maritza. “Como se Tejen los Hilos de la Impunidad: Femicidios en Honduras.”Campaña Nacional Contra los Femicidios.OXFAM, ONU-MUJERES (2011). Print.

17Ibid.

18“Denuncian 186 Asesinatos de Homosexuales en Honduras entre 2009 y 2012.” CR Hoy 17 May 2013. Web.

2014.

also shows that “transphobia across government structures at every level is facilitating a systematic climate of impunity with regards to human rights violations committed against transgender activists. Such impunity, which manifests itself in a culture of silence leads to a failure to file complaints, a failure to adopt a differentiated approach when dealing with such cases, ineffectiveness in the justice system, the existence of discriminatory legislation, and the absence of legislation on gender identity.”19

Although crime and violence affect everyone in Honduras, USAID will pursue a prevention strategy that includes targeting of specific vulnerable populations and strategies will be defined to address their unique situations. Inadequate education, lack of employment opportunities, and limited access to reproductive health services severely limit life-choice options for at-risk youth. Activities to increase access to vital social services will focus both on the groups most susceptible to becoming victims of crime and violence as well as those groups most likely to become perpetrators of crime and violence. USAID/Honduras will also study the proportions and types of physical and mental disabilities affecting target vulnerable populations, including proportions and types, to ensure its projects appropriately address their special security needs.

CRITICAL ASSUMPTIONS

1) The new GOH administration continues to welcome USG assistance in the area of citizen security.

2) The GOH improves the efficiency of budgetary allocations in the security and justice sector and increases its counterpart contribution to Central American Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) efforts through the Security Tax and other taxes.

3) The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), the Department of Defense, and other USG agencies remain engaged with and strengthen the police and prosecutorial functions in Honduras.

RISKS

1) Crime, violence, and corruption increase in an unanticipated manner;

2) The Honduran fiscal crisis leads to the GOH not making significant contributions to crime prevention or security reform programs;

3) Exit of key donors and other USG actors in the area of citizen security and crime prevention;

and

4) Lack of political will to achieve real change.

DO 1 Key Indicator

1) Number of select violent crimes in USAID/Honduras targeted areas; (i.e., extortion, homicide, rape, child abuse, domestic violence, etc.), disaggregated by gender and age.20

19The night is another country: Impunity and violence against transgender women human rights defenders in Latin America.REDLACTRANS Report (2012). 9. Print.

20 Measured by the Violence Observatory of the UNAH and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime homicide statistics.

STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATIONS

USAID/Honduras has been involved in extensive stakeholder consultations on citizen security with key members of the GOH, donors, civil society, and the private sector. These consultations have focused on understanding the causes of violence in Honduras, assessing the best and most effective approaches to combating crime, and agreeing on the best ways to coordinate among all stakeholders.

OTHER DONORS

While many donors are starting to invest in citizen security, the effectiveness and efficiency of donor cooperation must be improved. USAID/Honduras will promote a stronger GOH role in coordination, organizing the growing donor assistance, and harmonizing methodologies and programs across bilateral and multilateral donors in the security sector. The donor coordination group has an active working group on security and justice that invests in both law enforcement and prevention. USAID co-chairs a violence prevention working group with the German Agency for Cooperation (GIZ). Other donors in the security sector include the Inter- American Development Bank (IDB), the European Union (EU), the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the World Bank, the German Development Bank (KfW), and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA). USAID/Honduras will play a stronger coordination role with other USG entities as well, including INL, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Southern Command, Joint Task Force-Bravo, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

INTERMEDIATE RESULT 1.1: RESILIENCE OF COMMUNITIES AND

INDIVIDUALS TO CRIME INCREASED

DEVELOPMENT HYPOTHESIS

In urban, high-crime areas, if community infrastructure that mitigates against crime is improved (Sub-IR 1.1.1) and quality services that protect against violence are increased (Sub-IR 1.1.2), then communities and individuals will be more resilient to violence and crime levels will decrease. Following work done in Los Angeles, CA, USAID believes that providing a combination of primary (community-based infrastructure), secondary (focused on individuals at risk of becoming perpetrators), and tertiary (focused on those who have already committed crimes) prevention programs at the individual, family, relational, and community levels will lead to a reduction in violence. USAID hypothesizes that high levels of familial violence coupled with a lack of community services and support to mitigate escalation of violence, leads to greater violence in the communities. Therefore, investments will emphasize programs that address intrafamily violence, along with community level prevention programs that focus on vulnerable youth.

The high prevalence of community, family/relational, and individual risk factors drive high levels of crime and violence in Honduras. These risk factors include the marginalization of sectors of society from access to basic infrastructure and social services, lack of social trust and community cohesion, individuals’ low socioeconomic status, violence within households, and high levels of access to guns and criminogenic substances such as drugs and alcohol.

In gauging communities’ vulnerability to crime and violence, the most effective indicator for measuring prevailing needs in Honduras is the marginalization index published by the Honduran Ministry of Social Development. The index includes a vital component on the deficiencies in basic infrastructure in the poorest neighborhoods. For example, youth in extremely poor communities have limited access to high schools. Honduras has approximately 11,000 primary schools but only 1,000 high schools to absorb the student population graduating from primary schools; these high schools are seldom located in high-crime communities.21 As a result, under DO1, USAID/Honduras will analyze and implement primary prevention activities such as secondary school and other community infrastructure projects in high-crime areas that will enhance access and have the greatest impact on reducing violence and criminal activity. These efforts will be replicated by the Ministry of Education in other communities vulnerable to crime and violence, financed both with national funds and contributions from other donors.

USAID/Honduras will also consider individual risk factors that are vital for secondary prevention efforts. For at least the last two decades, Honduras has experienced high levels of outmigration in search of employment, leaving dysfunctional family structures where young children and youth often do not have sufficient parental supervision, rendering these children susceptible to the guidance and structure offered by gangs. Longitudinal studies of youth involvement in gangs demonstrate that individual risk factors are a significant determinant of youth involvement in the gang lifestyle. Combining primary prevention with a shift in secondary prevention from high-risk areas to high-risk individuals holds promise for greater impact.22 Under DO1, USAID/Honduras will invest in evidence-based secondary prevention activities focused on children and youth who are at risk of becoming offenders or victims.

USAID/Honduras will work to ensure the long-term sustainability of these targeted services by assisting the GOH to assume responsibility for these services.

IR 1.1 Key Indicators23

1) Marginalization Index; and

2) Percent of at-risk youth who express an ability to deflect a life of crime.

Sub-Intermediate Result 1.1.1: Community Structures that Mitigate against Crime Improved

DEVELOPMENT HYPOTHESIS

In high-risk communities, if physical infrastructure improvements and community social networks are planned and implemented through participatory means, then opportunities for committing crimes will be reduced.24

21Honduran Ministry of Education website.

22 Klein, Malcolm. “Memorandum: YSET Update and Recommendations/Next Steps .”USC March 8, 2013. 2. Print.

23 All indicators throughout this document will be sex-disaggregated where possible.

Although insecurity can be correlated, among other factors, to marginalization (in terms of access to basic and social infrastructure, including schools), it can also be attributed to the fact that weak community infrastructure conditions are conducive to criminal activity, e.g., unlit streets, overgrown shrubbery, and lack of visibility in public spaces. Research has shown that proper design and effective use of the infrastructure environment can lead to a reduction in both the opportunity for crime and the fear of crime.25 Communities, neighborhoods, streets, parks, individual homes, and other buildings can all be made safer through the application of design principles that make it more difficult to carry out illicit activities.

At the community-level, USAID will empower municipalities with tools and resources to create safer spaces, including community gardens, parks, recreational spaces, safe public transportation stops, improved street lighting, paved crosswalks, schools, and outreach and rehabilitation spaces that function as service delivery points. New or improved infrastructure creates safer environments for economic life to prosper, builds community and individual resilience, increases citizen security perceptions and reduces crime and violence.

USAID/Honduras will make a special effort to include vulnerable populations who are normally excluded from community participation processes in defining infrastructure priorities to ensure that the demands of these groups are heard. USAID will also establish sustainability plans, including strong local partnerships, to ensure infrastructure maintenance.

ILLUSTRATIVE ACTIVITIES

1) Improve community infrastructure based on security-enhanced designs;

2) Increase community involvement in decision-making, implementation, operation, and maintenance of infrastructure projects; and

3) Repair and expand existing schools, especially secondary schools.

Sub-IR 1.1.1 Key Indicators

1) Area with improved, safe infrastructure; and

2) Secondary school (grades 7-9) access rate.

Sub-Intermediate Result 1.1.2: Quality Services that Protect against Violence Increased

DEVELOPMENT HYPOTHESIS

If individual and family/relational risk factors for criminal behavior are reduced with targeted interventions and youth development at the community level is increased, fewer individuals will commit violent acts and citizen security will increase.

24Painter, Kate, and David P. Farrington. “The Crime-Reducing Effect of Improved Street Lighting: The Dudley Project.” Situational Crime Prevention: Successful Case Studies. Second. Ed. R.V. Clarke. Gilderland: Harrow and Heston, 1997. 209–26. Web.2014.

25“Crime Prevention through Environmental Design.” Royal Canadian Mounted Police, n.d. Web. 2014.

Factors such as negative peer influence, guilt neutralization, traumatic life events, drug and alcohol abuse, early sexual behavior, anti-social behavior/beliefs, generational gang influence, low self-esteem, violence within the household, and lack of parental supervision are key determinants of criminal behavior. Violence prevention methodologies must take into consideration these factors and the prevailing social inequalities and inequities often found in marginalized, high-crime communities. In order for interventions to succeed, the lack of education, health care, and other basic social services must be addressed, since increasing access to these services has positive effects on community resilience. Sub-IR 1.1.2 activities will focus on increasing access to comprehensive, high quality social services as social prevention interventions for at-risk populations, especially youth ages 8-15. Because risk factors can vary greatly among different populations, prior to implementation of any activity, USAID/Honduras will apply effective methodologies to determine the highest risk factors for each target population and the best methodologies to address them.

One particularly vulnerable group consists of juvenile perpetrators of minor offenses who enter the juvenile justice system and commingle with major crime offenders. Currently, the Honduran juvenile justice system does not provide separate punishment for these types of juvenile offenders, which in turn leads to juvenile perpetrators of minor offenses being incarcerated alongside, and being negatively influenced by, perpetrators of major crimes.

USAID/Honduras will provide this group with targeted risk prevention services and will also work on the implementation of juvenile justice system reforms so that juvenile perpetrators of minor crimes are not commingled with major crime offenders (please see a more detailed description in IR 1.2).

Youth Employment The high level of youth unemployment in Honduras is both a risk factor for youth involvement in criminal activity and a reason for migration to the United States. Activities under the previous strategy resulted in 6,510 youth earning international job readiness certificates, but the Honduran economy generated few new jobs so few certificate holders actually found employment. The country finds itself in a cyclical problem where high crime inhibits job creation and the lack of jobs fosters crime. USAID will focus on violence and crime prevention, which over time could result in new investments and job creation. This strategy includes some activities in workforce development, but additional economic growth resources would allow USAID to have a larger scale workforce readiness program that would target a broader population. As an example, with additional funding, USAID will study the feasibility of focusing on preparing youth for work in the building trades such as carpentry, plumbing, electricity, masonry, and concrete work, since jobs are likely to be generated in these areas under the Alliance for Prosperity. As trainees in outreach centers and other continuing education programs have limited formal education, often only through the sixth grade, these programs will also include numeracy, reasoning, problem solving, entrepreneurship, and governance.

As mentioned above, early sexual behavior is one of the individual risk factors for criminal behavior. Honduras has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in Central America, with a pregnancy rate of 24 percent for 15 – 19 year old girls.26 The 2012 report Estado de la Población Mundial 2012 shows that Honduras has 108 live births for every 1,000 women in the 15 to 19 year old age group and that 30 percent of the pregnant population in Honduras is less than 18 years old. High rates of teenage pregnancy have important implications for the health and education of girls and the development of the country in general. In addition, there is a growing recognition that adolescent pregnancy contributes to maternal mortality, to perinatal and infant mortality, and to the vicious cycle of ill-health and poverty. USAID/Honduras will address this issue as part of secondary prevention programming.

Low secondary school enrollment and attainment as well as youth unemployment and inactivity have been identified as common risk factors that correlate with youth participation in crime, gangs, and violence. In Honduras, only 40 percent of youth between the ages of 13 and 15 and 28 percent of youth between the ages of 16 and 18 attend school and approximately 800,000 youth between the ages of 14 and 30 (10 percent of the total population of Honduras) neither study nor work. Education activities will be implemented to increase protective factors, including increasing the enrollment of youth in formal schools through 9th grade, as well as broadening the scope of alternative and vocational educational opportunities, keeping in mind the realities of the economy and labor market, with a particular emphasis on workforce readiness where formal schooling is not an option. This will include expanding educational opportunities into non-traditional settings, including outreach centers, and creating stronger linkages with private sector needs both in terms of curriculum and partnerships. In addition, USAID/Honduras will strengthen the role of the school as a vector of community cohesion through broader social service provision and community engagement to further deter crime.

USAID/Honduras will also invest in primary school reading programs in targeted DO1 areas, as research has demonstrated that early grade reading competency is critical for reducing dropouts and improving success in future grades. Reading programs also present an opportunity to disseminate message about citizenship and personal responsibility, community cohesion, familial relationships, etc., as well as to improve self-esteem and self-efficacy of young people.

ILLUSTRATIVE ACTIVITIES

1) Mobilize GOH resources to provide basic social services for target populations;

2) Introduce formal school bridging activities and programs, including basic literacy and numeracy remediation;

3) Expand quality of and access to alternative education services;

4) Provide workforce readiness training for target populations;

5) Train teachers to improve early grade reading;

6) Implement evidence-based behavior change methodologies via financial and technical support to local nongovernmental organizations and community organizations;

26Demographic and Health Survey (DHS)2012-2013. Web.

7) Apply Youth Services Eligibility Tool diagnostics;

8) Support programs and civil service organizations working to reduce gender-based violence;

9) Develop outreach and communications campaigns to create awareness and decrease gender-based violence and violence within the household; and

10) Carry out reproductive health and life skills interventions for youth.

Sub-IR 1.1.2 Key Indicators

1) Protective factors for youth, which improve their ability to avoid involvement in criminal activity, increased;

2) Risk factors for youth decreased; and

3) Percentage of coverage for basic social services in target areas…