Global Voices » Honduras

May Day Videos: Marches, Demonstrations and Protests Around The World

Juliana Rincón Parra — Tue, 08 May 2012 05:08:19 +0000

Through cities around the globe, people took to the streets to march and commemorate the International Workers' Day. Videos by The Real News take us on a tour of how the day was observed throughout the world.

May Day March in Venezuela

While some places saw peaceful marches, others had violent encounters between armed forces and the protesters. On the first part of the video, an overview of workers in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe. For example, Malaysian activists protested against the growing inequality. In the Philippines were for job security and higher wages. Indonesians protested low wages and rough conditions. Cambodians asked for higher wages. People in Bahrein asked for workers to be reinstated to their positions of which they were removed by the government crackdowns. In Egypt protests were on behalf of including workers rights in the constitution that is being drafted. In Europe, workers protested austerity measures that seem to target them. In Russia, both the ruling party and the opposition had their own rallies. The French left marched against the past of fiscal austerity. And in the London, where May Day is not a holiday, workers went on strike.

On the second part, protests in North and South America. Demonstrations throughout Canada protesting budget cuts and rises in college tuition. In the USA, banks were targeted in many major cities including clashes with riot police, calls to strikes, and blockades. In Mexico workers marched to ask the government to do a better job in the face of violence. Honduras saw protests against the privatization of public services as well as corruption. In Cuba, massive parades commemorated the Cuban Revolution and in Venezuela both the government supporters and opposition marched, either for or against the recent reforms. In Colombia there were arrests during the protests and the Chilean student movement also marched.

Honduras: “Too much violence to keep track of”

Silvia Viñas — Wed, 02 May 2012 20:14:40 +0000

Adrienne Pine explains that, “since the bold repossession of lands by thousands of campesinos around Honduras on the International Day of Peasant Struggle, there have been increasingly worrisome retaliations, so frequent that I can't keep track of them.” She reports on some of these cases and on other types of violence in Honduras, including attacks on journalists. Adrienne also links to several articles on these issues.

Honduras: Campesinos Reclaim Land on International Day of Peasant's Struggles

Silvia Viñas — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:30:42 +0000

On April 17, the International Day of Peasant's Struggles, Adrienne Pine reports: “campesinos from all over Honduras are reclaiming land that was stolen and/or illegally taken from them in contravention of the stipulations and spirit of Agrarian Reform. One of those actions is happening right now in San Manuel, Cortés. 1500 families in the Movimiento Campesino de San Manuel, Cortés have retaken over a 3200 hectares of land there.” Read more in her blog Quotha.

Honduras: Report Highlights Country's Human Rights Situation

Silvia Viñas — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:22:33 +0000

The Organization of American States (OAS) human rights commission (CIDH for its initials in Spanish) has released its 2011 annual report on human rights, highlighting the situation in Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, and Venezuela. RNS from Honduras Culture and Politics looks at the report's findings on Honduras and how it has been covered by local media.

Honduras: Celebrating Growth, Because “Blogging is Hard”

Silvia Viñas — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 19:00:43 +0000

Blogger Edwin Francisco Herrera Paz from the blog La Honduras Valiente [es] (”The Brave Honduras”) celebrates 23,000 visits in 30 days and admits that blogging is hard. Edwin originally created La Honduras Valiente to record his thoughts on the June 2009 coup against Manuel Zelaya; now he also discusses other issues, like religion and evolution.

‘Mujeres Construyendo': Empowering Women, One Blog at a Time

Kathryn Morgan — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 10:00:34 +0000

“Una bloguera es, ante todo, una mujer valiente, que se atreve y se compromete. ¿Por qué? Porque a través de su blog se expresa, dice lo que piensa, siente, lo que es. Si tiene miedo de hablar o darle cuerpo a sus ideas, enfrenta ese miedo y lo supera.”

- “¿Quién es una bloguera?”, Mujeres Construyendo

A female blogger is, first and foremost, a brave woman, one who dares and one who commits. Why? Because through her blog she expresses herself, she says what she thinks, what she feels, what she is. If she is afraid to speak of or shape her ideas, she confronts this fear and overcomes it.

- “¿Quién es una bloguera?” [es] (Who is a female blogger?), Mujeres Construyendo

Women make up almost half of Latin America's Internet users. However, in spite of their high web-presence, women are mainly content consumers. Mujeres Construyendo [es], the first platform for female bloggers in Spanish, wants to transform Hispanic women into creators, not just consumers, of internet content.

Its founder, Claudia Calvin, answered some questions about this platform and community of Hispanic female bloggers.

Global Voices: How and when was Mujeres Construyendo created?

Claudia Calvin: Mujeres Construyendo surge como proyecto en el 2008, después de un tiempo de haberme hecho bloguera. Su origen se encuentra principalmente en mis andares por internet y después de descubrir una realidad que llamó profundamente mi atención: que las mujeres de habla hispana que participamos en internet seguimos transmitiendo en este espacio una creencia profundamente arraigada en nuestra cultura. ¿Cuál es? Aquella que nos inculcaron de niñas y en la que nos decían que “calladitas nos veíamos más bonitas”. Descubrí que nuestra participación como blogueras era muy distinta a la participación de las blogueras estadounidenses: ellas en la actualidad representan casi un 60% de los blogueros en su país y las blogueras en internet de habla hispana representamos un escaso 27%. Cuando inicié Mujeres Construyendo, la cifra era más desalentadora aún: 15%.

Busqué afanosamente un espacio de convergencia de mujeres blogueras, un espacio que no fuese un directorio, sino un lugar de convivencia, una comunidad como tal. Al no encontrarla, decidí hacerla, y así es como surge Mujeres Construyendo.

Hablé con unos amigos desarrolladores y lograron darle vida a esta idea que tenía en mi mente. La plataforma Mujeres Construyendo surge como tal en el 2009.

Claudia Calvin: Mujeres Construyendo came about in 2008, after a period of establishing myself as a blogger. It came from my internet browsing and the discovery of a reality that really caught my attention: Spanish speaking women who contribute to the internet continue to transmit a profound belief that is deeply-rooted in our culture. What was it? The belief that has been instilled in us since we were girls, the idea that “the quieter we are, the more beautiful we are”. I discovered that our contributions as bloggers were very distinct to that of American women. They currently constitute almost 60% of bloggers in their country and Spanish speaking female bloggers make up just 27%. When I began Mujeres Construyendo, the figure was even more discouraging… 15%.

I frantically looked for a space where female bloggers could get together, a space that wasn't a directory, but rather a place of coexistence, a community, as it were. After failing to find this, I decided to make it myself, and that is how Mujeres Construyendo came about.

I spoke with some developer friends and they managed to bring the idea I had in mind to life. And so the Mujeres Construyendo platform sprung to life in 2009.

GV: What is Mujeres Construyendo's mission? What does it want to achieve with this female blogging platform?

CC: El objetivo de Mujeres Construyendo es que las mujeres aprendamos a hacer uso de las nuevas tecnologías y las herramientas que brinda internet para empoderarnos, crecer, desarrollarnos. Los blogs son una herramienta de empoderamiento para nosotras: nos permite comunicar lo que hacemos, pensamos, visualizamos y participar en un diálogo central en el nuevo espacio público, que es internet.

Hemos participado más como observadoras y consumidoras de contenido que como proveedoras y en este espacio vacío se está perdiendo una enorme oportunidad para construir una realidad que refleje nuestros intereses y manera de entender y participar en el mundo, tanto en el ámbito de lo social, como lo político y empresarial, y ni qué decir de lo personal y familiar.

Las mujeres vivimos muchos tipos de marginación en el mundo, no necesitamos sumar una más a las existentes: la digital.

CC: The objective of Mujeres Construyendo is for women to learn to make use of new technologies and tools that the internet offers in order to be empowered, to grow and to develop. Blogs are empowering tools for us - they enable us to communicate what we do, what we think, what we see. They allow us to participate in a central dialogue in the new public space, the internet.

We have been more involved as observers and consumers of content than providers. We are missing out on a great opportunity to construct a reality that reflects our interests and way of understanding and participating in the world, in a social sense, as well as a political and business sense, not to mention the personal and familial.

Women deal with many types of marginalisation in society, we don't need to add digital marginalisation to those that already exist.

GV: Why is it important for women to have a blog?

CC: Como mencionaba anteriormente, los blogs son una herramienta de empoderamiento en la medida en que posibilitan que las mujeres puedan comunicarse, expresar, proponer y dialogar en internet y con ello contribuir a la definición y construcción de una realidad que refleje sus intereses y visión. Las voces de mujeres en la blogósfera son importantes porque son el reflejo de la mitad de los habitantes del planeta y en el medida en que sean actores sociales, políticos, voten, consuman, tomen decisiones y vivan de manera cotidiana los diversos contextos de su entorno (desde violencia, hasta crisis económicas, pasando por desastres naturales o guerras) su voz es importante. Son actores de la vida cotidiana y su visión y mirada cuentan, valen, reflejan una circunstancia. Su silencio resulta -sin que ellas mismas los sepan- cómplices de realidades sexistas o que marginan y en la medida en que paulatinamente vayan apareciendo y expresando su voz…irá cambiando el entorno. El silencio jamás ha sido socio del empoderamiento.

CC: As I mentioned before, blogs are tools of empowerment insofar as they make it possible for women to be able to communicate and express themselves, make suggestions and converse on the internet. They are tools with which women contribute to the definition and construction of a reality that represents their interests and vision. Women's voices, in the blogosphere, are important because they reflect half of the planet's inhabitants. Their voices are important in the sense that they are social players, politicians, they vote, they act, they make decisions and everyday they live through different environmental contexts (from violence, to economic crises; from natural disasters, to wars). They are players in everyday life and their vision and perspective counts, they are valued, they reflect a situation. Their silence, although they themselves are unaware, acts as an accomplice for a sexist reality, or it means they are marginalised. As long as their voices continue to gradually appear and be expressed, this environment will keep changing.

GV: How many women have a blog on Mujeres Construyendo?

CC: La comunidad de Mujeres Construyendo está constituida por la plataforma Mujeres Construyendo (www.mujeresconstruyendo.com) y las redes sociales a través de las cuáles se conecta su comunidad. La suma de personas conectadas a esta propuesta y a este espacio suma hoy cerca de 9 mil personas.

CC: The community of Mujeres Construyendo is made up by the Mujeres Construyendo platform (www.mujeresconstruyendo.com) and the social networks that connect this community. The total sum of people connected today is around nine thousand.

GV: What is the profile of the women who blog on Mujeres Construyendo?

CC: Cabe decir que participan hombres y mujeres en nuestra plataforma. Somos un espacio incluyente y consideramos que no se puede hablar de equidad partiendo de un principio de exclusión, por ello, las voces masculinas son bien recibidas. La mayoría, estamos hablando de más del 96%, son mujeres. Su perfil es principalmente urbano, de entre 25 y 45 años, en su mayoría de México, España, Argentina, Venezuela y Estados Unidos. Quiero destacar a una de nuestras blogueras más activas, y que inclusive ha sido entrevistada en televisión: Bertha, una extraordinaria mujer de 82 años que nos enseña que no hay edad para seguir aprendiendo y que las herramientas digitales son poderosas y permiten a las personas seguirle dando sentido a su vida.

CC: I should say that both men and women use our platform. We are an inclusive space and we don't believe that you can talk about equality while at the same time exercising a principal of exclusion, so male bloggers are also welcomed. The majority, we're talking more than 96%, are women. Their profile is mainly urban, from 25 to 45 years of age, and mainly from Mexico, Spain, Argentina, Venezuela and the United States. I want to focus on one of our most active bloggers, who has even been interviewed on television. Bertha, an extraordinary 82 year-old woman who shows us that there's no age limit to learning and that digital tools are powerful and they can continue to give meaning to people's lives.

GV: What will 2012 bring for Mujeres Construyendo?

CC: Empezamos el año con el pie derecho, estrenando nueva casa y nuestro nuevo sitio nos permite interactuar mejor, conocernos y convivir de manera más cercana. Detrás de esto hay trabajo y compromiso y queremos consolidarnos como un espacio central para que las mujeres participen, tengan voz y con ello contribuir con nuestro grano de arena no sólo a su empoderamiento, sino al fortalecimiento de la democracia. Queremos incrementar el número de blogueras participando y vinculadas a nuestra comunidad, estamos trabajando en ofrecer herramientas a las blogueras que les permitan fortalecer su presencia y cumplir sus objetivos, sean estos personales, familiares, profesionales. Detrás de este trabajo hay alianzas y proyectos que podrán ver en un futuro muy cercano y del que con gusto les platicaremos en su momento.

Muchas gracias por su interés en conocernos y ojalá a través de Global Voices más mujeres se animen a sumar su voz a nuestra comunidad. Juntas podemos hacer una diferencia.

CC: We're going to start the year off on the right foot. Opening a new house and our new site will allow us to interact, get to know each other and live together in a closer way. Behind this there is work and dedication and we want to consolidate it into one central space so that the women who participate have a voice with which they do their bit, not just towards their own empowerment, but also towards strengthening democracy. We want to increase the number of female bloggers who participate within and are linked to our community so we are working on offering tools to the female bloggers that enable them to strengthen their presence and achieve their goals, whether these be personal, familial or professional. Behind this work there are aliances and projects that will be seen in the very near future, about which we'll talk about nearer the time.

Thank you very much for your interest in getting to know us and hopefully through Global Voices more women will be encouraged to add their voice to our community. Together we can make a difference.

Claudia is also a blogger [es] and she tweets under @LaClau [es]. You can follow Mujeres Construyendo on Facebook [es], Twitter, [es] YouTube [es], and LinkedIn [es].

Honduras: The Effects of Open-Pit Mining

Silvia Viñas — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 13:26:30 +0000

Poet, activist and blogger Fabricio Estrada blogs [es] about the effects of open-pit mining in the town of San Ignacio, Honduras. His posts includes numerous photos of the town.

Intercontinental Cry Will Launch Spanish Edition

Silvia Viñas — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:23:14 +0000

Ahni announces the upcoming Spanish edition of Intercontinental Cry [es], which will go live on March 31, 2012. “The main objective of IC Espanol is, of course, to provide Spanish readers with the same news that our English readers have come to expect from us; what I consider to be essential news on the global indigenous movement.” Find out about more languages on the IC Translation Project Facebook page.

Ibero-American Blogging Competition Asks Teens: “What are you reading?”

Silvia Viñas — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 13:17:26 +0000

The Organization of Ibero-American States invites teens ages 12 to 15 to enter a blogging competition about reading. The sign up [es] deadline is May 31, 2012, and judges will consider blog posts written until July 31. The winner from each participating country will receive an iPad. Visit the official website [es] and follow the hashtag #questasleyendo [es] (”what are you reading”) to find out more about the contest.

Honduras: In Sabanagrande, Making Fun of Police is No Joke

Silvia Viñas — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 14:19:38 +0000

Local police failed to see the joke during a satirical performance put on by youth in the town of Sabanagrande, south of Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. Every year Sabanagrande holds a cultural festival called Rey Feo, (Ugly King).

Blogger and poet Fabricio Estrada describes it as a “majestic tradition that each year brings together the largest demonstration of collective morbidity in the southern zone.” Around 40 youths in costume enthrone an “Ugly King” who reads a will full of town gossip and rhymed rumors. On February 4 of this year, the Ugly King directed his satire at local police.

Honduran police have been under fire for accusations of corruption, attacking citizens, and collaborating with criminals and gangs. Undoubtedly, tensions between civilians and the police are high.

In his blog Bitácora del Párvulo [es], Fabricio illustrates the atmosphere in the town on the day of this year's Rey Feo:

“Te digo que esta vez le tirarán duro a la chepa (la policía), yo tengo un primo que sale en el cortejo…” susurra un niño. Pero ya todos lo saben. Han tenido todo un año para meterse en la vida pública como privada, y lo de la policía es público y privado a la vez: público porque los medios masivos ya lo denunciaron y privado porque es mejor callarlo antes de ir “pechito de paloma” (apresado con esposas).

“I'm telling you, this time they will talk about the police, I have a cousin who is part of the cast…” a boy whispers. But everyone already knows. They've had a whole year to get into public and private life, and the issues with police are public and private a the same time: public because the mass media have already covered them and private because it's better to keep quiet rather than risking getting arrested.

Later in the post, Fabricio describes the police's reaction to the reading of the will:

La policía aprieta las mandíbulas y reciben la estocada anual: “Ay policía hijue… aquí te vamos a dar la batuta, porque solo por robar y por matar el sueldo te van a pagar”.

Solo se espera que termine la lectura cuando ya la policía se le va encima al cortejo completo, pero los soldados del primer batallón se interponen, defendiéndolos. ¡Esto es teatro señores, esto es teatro! grita el de los parlantes, pero soldados y policías hacen el suyo mientras el cortejo se escabulle entre las sombras. […]

De nuevo, el pueblo se ha salido con la suya. No hay censura que valga en la insurrección más antigua de Sabanagrande: el rey feo.

Police clench their jaws and receive the annual stab: “Oh policeman, son of a… here we are going to teach you a lesson, because just for stealing and killing they will pay you a salary.“They barely wait for the reading to be over before jumping on the enitre cast, but the soldiers of the first battalion get in the way, defending [the youth]. This is theater, gentlemen, this is theater! screams the guy on the loudspeakers, but soldiers and police do their thing as the cast sneaks amongst the shadows. […]

Once again, the people have gotten away with it. There is no censorship that can withstand the oldest insurrection in Sabanagrande: the ugly king.

Fabricio reports [es] that days later, police actively sought to arrest the youths involved in the performance. Around 150 people responded to the police's “arbitrary persecution and apprehension” of several young men.

Los ánimos lograron controlarse ante la promesa de mediación del COFADEH [Comité de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos en Honduras], quien asumió darle seguimiento a los testimonios y acompañar a las víctimas de la violación constitucional del derecho a la libre circulación y de las amenazas concretadas por la policía al detener la semana pasada a uno de los muchachos (Mauricio Canales), a quien golpearon y sometieron a burla y escarnio ante su preferencia sexual manifiesta.

The indignation was calmed down by the promise of mediation by the COFADEH [Committee of Relatives of Detained and Disappeared in Honduras], who took on the task of following up with the testimonies and assisting victims of the constitutional violation of the right to free movement and of the threats felaborated by police last week after detaining one of the boys (Mauricio Canales), who was beaten and subjected to ridicule and scorn due to to his sexual preference.

Anger had been building among the citizens of Sabanagrande due to a police-imposed curfew requiring that children under 17 be “sent to sleep” at 10pm or risk imprisonment for loitering or suspected delinquency. Fabricio observed how life in town changed under this unofficial curfew:

Un pavoroso silencio llena el pueblo y solo se ve a la patrulla recorriendo despaciosamente las calles. No se exagera cuando se puede comparar esta escena con cualquier registro histórico de una dictadura implantada sin vergüenza alguna.

A dreadful silence fills the town and you can only see the patrol car slowly driving through the streets. It is no exaggeration to say that you can compare this scene with any historical record of a dictatorship implanted without shame.

As a result of these clashes with the police, citizens decided to take matters into their own hands and create the first Sabanagrande Human Rights Committee under the direction of COFADEH. Fabricio, now an active part of this committee, says that “Honduran society has reached a dead end that should accelerate a process of unprecedented civic organization.” He shares images of the group's first meeting:

In an email, Fabricio tells Global Voices that the committee held a pro-human rights concert and poetry reading on Friday, March 2, and that the group is already seeing some success:

la presión del pueblo (plantones pacíficos durante toda la semana, en el parque, a partir de las 10 de la noche) más la acción del COFADEH, Radio Globo (periodista Félix Molina) y la Secretaría de Justicia y Derechos Humanos (que entró en juego gracias a enlaces amigos) revirtió lo que estaba sucediendo ordenando el relevo inmediato de seis de los policías más implicados en arbitrariedades.

Los jóvenes están más que felices, lo logramos!

pressure from the people (peaceful sit-ins throughout the week, in the park, starting at 10 pm) plus the action of COFADEH, Radio Globo (journalist Felix Molina) and the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights (which got involved thanks to ties of friendship) reversed what was happening by ordering the immediate replacement of six of the policemen involved in arbitrary actions.

The youth are more than happy, we did it!

Special thanks to Fabricio Estrada for allowing Global Voices to use his images and for collaborating in this post by providing information. Visit his photoblog País Fotogénico [es] for more images and stories from Honduras.

Brazil: The Deficient Prison Systems of the Americas

Juliana Rincón Parra — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 02:34:29 +0000

The Latin Americanist sums up the recent events concerning the penitentiary system in Latin America: a fire that killed hundreds in a prison in Honduras, prison riots in Mexico and escaped inmates in Perú. These events may be causing other countries to re-analyze their prison systems, but will this turn into meaningful reforms, or more of the same tragedies?

In their post Chronicle of a Tragedy Foretold they include the following footage from a documentary on the problems within the penitentiary system in Brazil, including overcrowding. The video is in Portuguese with English subtitles.

Under the Brazilian Sun is a documentary directed and produced by Adele Reeves and Leandro Vilaca. It tells the story of the prison system from all possible sides, interviewing current and former prisoners, their families, guards, police officers, heads of prisons, human rights groups and others. From their documentary trailer description:

Not only is this film a must-see to because of its honest and brutal portrayal of the prison system in Brazil, but also because it is an in-depth analysis of why and how this is happening along with a look at what can be done to change these conditions for the future.

The documentary is available through YouTube, following is the first part:

Honduras: Prison Fire Kills Hundreds

Silvia Viñas — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:41:40 +0000

A blaze broke out on Tuesday night, February 14, in a prison in Comayagua. The blog Honduras News has published several posts (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ) on the fire, while Adrienne Pine recommends watching “Oscar Estrada's film El Porvenir for background.”

Latin America: Museum Releases Digital Archive of 20th-Century Art

Silvia Viñas — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:36:22 +0000

The International Center for Arts of the Americas (ICCA) at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, has released a digital archive of 20th-century Latin American and Latino art, which, “is now available, free of charge, to the research and teaching community as well as to the public at large.” Culture magazine Ñ [es] briefly interviewed Mari Carmen Ramírez, the project's director.

A Guide to Crowdsourcing in Latin America

L. Finch — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 01:16:36 +0000

Crowdsourcing, also known as “mass collaboration,” allows anyone with an Internet connection to generate useful content for the masses. In Latin America, numerous crowdsourcing projects have arisen that respond to the various needs and emergencies that the continent is facing, such as Heroreports [en], which geotags acts of kindness in Mexico, or LluviasVe [en], which maps events caused by strong rains in Venezuela. Crowdsourcing has become a fundamental tool in Latin America to foment and utilize citizen participation in an effort to inform.

On January 14, 2012, Jacinto Lajas published “A guide to crowdsourcing in Latin America [es] on Periodismo Ciudadano, an online blog that hosts discussion and debate about citizen journalism. Below we have republished the article under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 3.0 Spain license (CC BY-NC 3.0).

Americas Society (AS) is the leading forum dedicated to education, debate, and dialogue in the Americas. Its mission is to foment understanding of current political, social, and economic issues that Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada are facing, as well as to augment public awareness of and appreciation for the diversity of the New World's cultural heritage and the importance of interrelationships between the diverse peoples of the Americas.

Within this mission falls the logical observation of changes effected by technological advances in the Americas, and in that same spirit comes the publication of a guide to crowdsourcing in Latin America, highlighting projects that have developed in different countries throughout the region.

The preface to the list of projects explains how crowdsourcing has become a popular method of citizen participation in compliance with the law, public health, consumer rights, and social issues in Latin America, one of the regions with the largest growth of Internet penetration in the world:

El número de usuarios de Internet creció a 112 millones en enero de 2011 –un aumento del 15 por ciento respecto al año anterior. En Brasil, Colombia, México y Venezuela, las tasas de crecimiento del uso de Internet aumentaron en un 20 por ciento o más durante el mismo período. También va en aumento es el uso del teléfono de última generación: en 2011, uno de cada cinco teléfonos celulares vendidos en América Latina fue un smartphone y, en 2010, las ventas de estos teléfonos en la región aumentaron en un 117 por ciento. Con un mayor acceso a Internet, más latinoamericanos están utilizando las redes sociales: 114.500.000 personas utilizaban sitios como Facebook y Twitter en junio de 2011.

The number of Internet users grew to 112 million in January 2011 -an increase of 15 percent over the previous year. In Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela, the growth rate of Internet use increased 20 percent or more during the same period. An increase in high-end telephone use also was observed: in 2011, one out of every five mobile phones sold in Latin America was a smartphone, and in 2010, sales of these telephones in the region grew by 117 percent. With such widespread access to the Internet, more Latin Americans are using social networks: 114.5 million people utilized websites such as Facebook and Twitter in June 2011.

A promising prospect. Just as the proliferation of participatory projects –some mentioned here [es]– is in Latin America. Below you will find the list of projects included in the guide. You can find more information about each project in the original publication in Americas Society [en].

Argentina
- Mapa del Narcotráfico [es]
- Mapa de la Inseguridad [es]
Brasil
Chile
Costa Rica
- LocalCrime.org [available in en, es, fr]
- Quien Paga Manda [es]
Honduras
- Honduras Health Mapping [en, available in 24 languages]
México
Panamá
- Mi Panamá Transparente [es]
Perú
- Que No Te Roben [es]
Venezuela
- Quiero Paz [es]
- Victeams [es]

Honduras: Priest Denounces Police Attack

Silvia Viñas — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:20:59 +0000

Father Marco Aurelio Lorenzo, a Catholic priest, has denounced a police attack on December 26, 2011, “when he and two brothers […] stopped along the highway to rest. […] Eight police officers set on them and beat them, badly enough that they then took them to the hospital,” Honduras Culture and Politics reports. The Committee for Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared in Honduras (Cofadeh) condemns the attack and the police's “systematic practice of attacking [Honduran] citizens.”