Central America

Guatemala | Mexico | Belize | Costa Rica | El Salvador | Honduras | Nicaragua | Panama

Crime levels remain high in this region due to the availability of weapons and the legacy of civil wars. Governments respond with tougher legislation, often blurring military and police roles by deploying military forces to deal with crime and social unrest. Vigilantism and mob lynching of suspected criminals is common in Mexico and Guatemala.

Members of human rights groups, trade unions and indigenous groups face intimidation, harassment and death threats. The reluctance by the authorities to investigate present and past human rights violations perpetuates impunity.

Violence against women persists across the whole region. Despite some efforts by the Mexican government, killings continue in the state of Chihuahua, and the rise in killings in Guatemala is bringing increasing condemnation in the international community. In Honduras, violent deaths of children and young adults are common.

Read more about the countries in this region in our 2013 Annual Report

The Invisibles

Every year, tens of thousands of women, men and children travel through Mexico without legal permission. As "invisible" migrants they head for the US border in the hope of finding a new life far from the poverty they've left behind. Their journey is one of the most dangerous in the world. Watch the whole film on YouTube