Honduras is selling off its natural resources to the highest bidder, environmentalists claim
The courage of the women I met during a visit to the Central American country of Honduras with Trócaire cannot be overstated. To be a woman in Honduras is to know fear and violence. Women are killed in their homes and on the streets and impunity is mentioned in every conversation about these violent deaths. Yet these women are standing up to government and business. They are advocating for their communities and for the marginalised. It's not that they know no fear, it's that they refuse to give in to it. I am in awe of their courage
María Felícita López (31) and her daughter Hilda (8). María is opposed to the Los Encinos hydroelectric project in La Paz. Picture from Trócaire
MAEVE CONNOLLY
25 May, 2020 01:00
HONDURASS economic growth strategy is founded on tourism, energy projects, mining and agri-business - all of which are potentially damaging to the environment.
The government has awarded licenses to hundreds of controversial projects and critics say it is selling off the countrys rich natural resources to the highest bidder.
Logging, mining and dam projects are often sited on the ancestral territories of indigenous people and there have been accusations of land grabs.
Indigenous communities are vulnerable because their ownership - or collective ownership - of tribal land goes unrecognised.
Human rights organisations believe the expansion of these businesses has fuelled violence against local communities and land rights activists.
More:
http://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2020/05/25/news/honduras-is-selling-off-its-natural-resources-to-the-highest-bidder-environmentalists-claim-1950537/