Vivian Trill Blog – Honduras a human trafficking haven

Honduras: Safe Haven for Human Trafficking Victims

Honduras is known for many things, but it should be known for one of its greatest
virtues: it is a key station on the underground railroad – a hidden system that transports
girls and women who have been hunted and recovered from Belize human trafficking.

Over the years, our organization has developed a string of Honduran safe havens for girls
and women who have been hunted and recovered from their human trafficking
nightmare. So many of them would not have wound up in that nightmare if it were not so
easy for traffickers to access the Belize human trafficking superhighway. Honduras does
not provide nearly the easy access enjoyed by traffickers in Belize.

At the heart of this network of welcoming Honduran homes is a great cultural value:
ficha bars, i.e., establishments that distinguish themselves by offering human trafficking
victims in forced prostitution, are not tolerated. There are no human trafficking hubs and
ficha bar concentrations in Honduras. Not like Belize with its San Pedro, Ambergris
Caye, a bonanza for those profiting from human trafficking.

Why is Honduras different? Easiest way to explain: Honduran women are a force to be
reckoned with.

Hondurans, particularly the women, are fiercely against men in their communities
availing themselves of ficha bar entertainments. There are plenty of bars, yes. But there
is a code among Hondurans that we have come to admire and respect: no bars offering
trafficked women in our backyard, thanks. In many ways it reflects the warmth and
compassion that runs through this part of Central America.

It’s the reason that our organization has been able to come back to Honduras time and
again with victims we’ve rescued from the Belize human trafficking industry. And, most
important, it is in Honduras where we find the most help for human trafficking victims:
shelter and recovery from their ordeal. Almost all of them have been stolen from their
families and trapped in a sordid world where they have been made to endure forced sex in
hellhole bars night after night.

Senora Paz is one of the stars of the underground railroad. She offers her home to
recovered victims, sometimes as many as eight at a time. She understands that these are
wounded women in need of healing and focus. Food and lodging are offered, yes. But
Senora Paz also counsels wisely, telling victims they are not to blame for what has
happened to them. So many do. It’s a long recovery process that starts with a feeling of
safety. Senora Paz and her safe haven counterparts across the country are exceptional
people, but they reflect the standard of kindness that we have come to expect in
Honduras.