Internal displacement in Honduras

Overall objectives

The main objective of this activity is to provide up-to-date data and statistics that quantify and depict the socioeconomic conditions of IDPs in Honduras. Incorporating durable solutions indicators into the EPHPM will improve the availability of SDG data for the general population. UNHCR will support INE to improve their analysis, reporting, and dissemination to increase the use and accessibility of the findings by policy makers, in accordance with the recently adopted Law for the Prevention, Assistance and Protection of Internally Displaced.

Activity description

The Encuesta Permanente de Hogares de Propositos Multiples (EPHPM) is a quarterly cross-sectional survey with a sample size of 28,800 households, each with an average of 4.6 people and a response rate of around 75 percent. Assuming that 2.7 percent of the population are internally displaced, this should yield a sample of 2,683 IDPs over the course of the year – almost double the original target of 1,500. Producing data from the national household survey should lead to more precise survey estimates.

Data from the first and second quarterly releases will produce an estimate of the magnitude of internal displacement, despite the lack of self-awareness of IDP status and the fear of being identified as displaced due to violence. More detailed population statistics and an analysis of the progress towards durable solutions should follow in the subsequent rounds of the survey as the number of IDPs in the sample continues to grow.

Engagement with partners

UNHCR will provide technical and financial support to the National Statistical Office (INE Honduras), the Human Rights Secretariat and the Interinstitutional Commission for IDPs protection, while the Expert Group on Refugee, Internal Displacement and Statelessness Statistics will provide technical support on international standards.

Background and Context

Honduras has been one of the most violent countries in the world for most of the last decade, with a rate of 39 intentional homicides per 100,000 persons, almost seven times higher than the global average (6/100,000). The violence, which is mostly perpetrated by gangs and fueled by drug money, peaked in 2011 and has been steadily declining since then. Regardless, many have abandoned their homes in pursuit of safety and a better future, inside and outside the country. From, 2014 to 2018, the number of refugees and asylum-seekers originating from Honduras grew from 14,293 to 95,383 – a six-fold increase.

In 2013, the Honduran Government established the Inter-institutional Commission for the Protection of Populations Displaced by Violence (CIPPDV) which initiated profiling exercises, in 2014 and 2018, to assess the characteristics of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and estimated number of IDPs was 247,090.

However, since forced displacement in Honduras is silent and invisible, the cost and logistics of sampling IDPs for an under-resourced organization like the Instituto Nacional de Estadística Honduras (INE Honduras) are significant. IDPs are also dynamic and mobile. Including IDP identification questions and durable solutions indicators in the national multi-purpose household survey intends to make IDP statistics a regular feature of INE Honduras’ publications.

This commitment was affirmed by INE’s Director when he publicly announced his country’s intention to lead the region in implementing the International Recommendations on IDP Statistics, leadership which could advance IRIS implementation throughout Central America.