Academic warns about 121 femicides in Honduras

Violence against women in Honduras has resulted in 121 femicides so far in 2026, according to the Violence Observatory of the National Autonomous University of Honduras. Its director, Migdonia Ayestas, warned that these crimes are a response to structures of power and inequality rooted in society.

Ayestas maintained that these events cannot be analyzed solely from a criminal perspective, since behind each case there are cultural patterns linked to control, domination, and inequality between men and women.

According to the director of the observatory, gender-based violence is fueled by social norms that have historically placed women in conditions of subordination, limited their autonomy, and reinforced sexist practices that are reproduced from an early age.

We recommend reading:

What the observatory director proposed

He explained that the aggressors use violence as a tool to impose authority and control, not only over the direct victims, but also as a way to send messages of power to their social environment. Migdonia Ayestas (r), director of the Violence Observatory of the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH), United in Honduras, during a press conference. EFE/ Gustavo Amador

“Women’s bodies are seen as a territory that people want to control. It is a message of power, a demonstration of dominance that reflects a much broader structure of violence,” pointed out Migdonia Ayestas.

Ayestas stated that femicides represent the most extreme manifestation of this problem and warned that behind each case there are stories marked by threats, previous assaults, psychological control, economic violence, and other forms of abuse that often remain invisible.

He also lamented that a large part of society continues to view these deaths solely as statistical figures, when they reflect complex dynamics of misogyny, hatred, and control over women’s lives.

Data recorded in 2026

According to data from the UNAH Violence Observatory, so far in 2026 there have been 121 violent deaths of women classified as femicides, in addition to three additional cases that remain under analysis to determine their classification.

For Ayestas, the solution does not depend solely on toughening laws or increasing penalties, but on implementing comprehensive strategies that allow for attacking the structural causes that generate violence.

Along those lines, he/she raised the need to strengthen the institutions in charge of investigating these crimes, improve the response capacity of justice operators, and guarantee sufficient resources for the care and protection of victims throughout the national territory. The director of the observatory warns that femicides respond to structures of power and inequality

“Laws are useless if there are no resources. Trained judges, scientific criminal investigation, institutional presence, and an effective response from the State are needed,” he stated.

Prevention, education and impunity

The director of the Violence Observatory also highlighted the need to work on prevention from an early age. In her view, the educational system plays a fundamental role in dismantling cultural patterns of discrimination and violence that are passed down from generation to generation.

Furthermore, he considered it essential to involve men in social transformation processes, with models of coexistence based on respect, equality, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.

In Honduras, human rights organizations have reiterated that one of the main challenges remains impunity.

Although progress has been made in terms of legislation and institutional care, specialists agree that obstacles persist regarding the investigation of cases, access to justice, and the effective protection of victims.