Success Stories
Breaking the Cycle of Violence: Putting an End to Vigilantism
Thanks to the intervention of the AJS-supported Peace & Justice project, a band of vigilantes who brutally
murdered teenage boys suspected of being involved
with gangs in a poor neighborhood in Honduras was
recently convicted.
While the mothers of these boys will never get their
sons back, they at least can be satisfied that the men
who took their sons from them have been brought to
justice, and that they will not be able to harm any more
boys from poor neighborhoods. read more
Laura's Story: From Trauma to Hope
Early in the morning as she did errands for her mother, then-13-year-old Laura was accosted by three young men who beat her, raped her, and before leaving her sobbing in an alley, threatened to kill her if she told anyone what had happened. Rape and gang rape occur with disturbing frequency in Honduras' poor urban neighborhoods, but nearly all such crimes go unpunished—often because victims are too ashamed, to frightened of reprisals, and have too little trust in the police to report them.
But Laura did report the crime committed against her, and thanks to her bravery, and to the AJS-supported Peace & Justice Project, all three of her attackers have been arrested and are awaiting trial. read more
One October day in 2004, four staff members of a government institution whose goal is supposedly to rehabilitate troubled youths beat several juvenile inmates with wooden clubs. They beat them so severely that one inmate, who was struck on the hands, subsequently lost all his fingernails, and another suffered fractures in his hands and one of his arms. If the AJS-supported Peace & Justice Project had not intervened, this horrible beating would have gone unpunished. read more
Gerson [pronounced "Hair-son"]'s house is built on one of the few relatively flat pieces of ground in the steep, maze-like neighborhood of Villa Cristina in Tegucigalpa. But until recently, living there was in some ways just as precarious as living in nearby houses that keep an unsteady grip on sheer cliff faces.
The reason: Gerson had no legal title to the lot his home is built on. read more | watch video
"Tami"
"He even bought my entire bucket of tortillas." That's how doña Julieta* a resident of an impoverished neighborhood on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa, explains the way an AJS-supported lawyer went above and beyond the call of duty in rescuing and defending her teenage granddaughter from a kidnapper. read more | watch video
"María"
María (name changed for privacy) is just 13. By all rights she should be spending her days chatting with friends, enjoying classes and perhaps playing a prank our two with her classmates—in short, having a normal adolescence. Instead, since late November she spends most days locked in her house, scared and ashamed of what the gossipers in her small rural town will say about her: “raped.” read more
Tomasa Turcios and other Security Guards
In the five years Tomasa worked as a private security guard, her employers routinely forced her to work unpaid overtime (24-hour shifts were the norm) and illegally deducted the costs of uniforms and other equipment from Tomasa's pittance of a salary (only about $130 a month). They also withheld government-mandated bonuses. Once a manager confiscated Tomasa's gun, then accused Tomasa of stealing it and told her she would have to pay more than a month's salary to replace it...read more | watch video (Tomasa) | watch video (Betanco)
Bienvenida Carías
Getting a property title changed Bienvenida Carías' life. When Bienvenida moved to what is now the neighborhood of Flor del Campo, in Tegucigalpa, the only thing there was tall grass—and snakes. There were few neighbors and no electricity, telephone service, storm sewers, or running water. Almost the only thing Bienvenida and her six daughters did have was a dream—a dream of owning a small piece of land for themselves...read more
Yazmin Zuniga
The income Yazmin earned as a cashier at Popeye's Chicken wasn't much, but it helped her pay for classes and materials at the university, contribute part of her three younger brothers' tuition and school supplies, and supplement the meager income her mother earned working at a bakery in the lower-class neighborhood where they lived.
Things were fine for the first year and a half, but when a new manager took over Yazmin's job turned into a nightmare... read more
Felipa Mejia
Felipa is a single mother from Flores de Oriente, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Tegucigalpa. When she came to an AJS-supported Gideon Counseling Centers she suffered from anxiety about her son, who had fallen into crime and drug use.
Felipa's anxiety was so bad that she had stopped eating, and was in danger of starving herself to death. Thankfully, a friend stepped in and helped her get help at the Gideon counseling center in Nueva Suyapa...read more
Eufemia Cruz
Eufemia is one of 27 fast-food employees fired under illegal circumstances and denied legally mandated severance pay in early 2004. Some have since settled out of court for less than they are legally owed. But others, including Eufemia, have stuck with the case AJS is handling.
Eufemia is every bit as persistent as the woman in Jesus' Parable of the Persistent Widow...read more
The lack of State control over security companies in Honduras has led to serious labor rights violations. The security guards that provide services for these companies are left with their rights completely unprotected. Click here to find out how AJS intervened and won the case for the employees.
After a long and hard fight, residents from Sector 7b in Villa Nueva now have access to city water. A water system was finally installed in November of 2004. Residents and the local community council thank AJS project staff for advocating for their rights and getting the city to respond.
In October of 1999, several thousand indigineous people came to the capital city of Honduras to protest the government's failure to address the conditions of extreme poverty in their communities, only to be met with violence. Police fired into the crowd, causing one man to lose his eye and injuring many others. AJS project staff worked with them to obtain compensation for injuries and recognition that such violent repression is unacceptabe. Click here to read more.
Under an international agreement the Honduran government signed and is bound to, indigenous groups such as the Garifuna people have a legal right to their ancestral land. However, these groups have been harassed and threatened by people with economic interests in their land. AJS-supported lawyers have worked with several Garifuna villages to obtain title to this land. Click here for the full story.
Seven-year-old Leonardo René Morales was killed in a car accident caused by a drunk driver, who was let off because of family ties to a Supreme Court Justice. AJS project staff along with the Morales family were able to bring justice to both the killer of this little boy and the Magistrate who abused her power. Click here to read more.
When African palm production business invaded the land of the Garifuna community Ruguma, and harassed and threatened community members, an AJS-supported project brought media attention to the situation, protecting the community from further violence, and facilitated the making of a map which clearly establishes the community limits.
Click here to read more.
Pedro Mejia worked for three years as a corporate vice-president for one of the wealthiest and most powerful people in Honduras, Miguel Facusse. However, when Pedro's brother denounced Miguel Facusse for environmental crimes, he had Pedro arrested (based on very questionable charges). Pedro was imprisoned for almost three years, despite the fact he was never proved guilty. Click here to read more.
Political manipulation and corruption have long been features of the Honduran legal system, but in 2000 civil society and the government worked together to pass important judicial reforms. AJS-supported lawyers were deeply involved in the drafting and implementation of new laws to create a new Supreme Court system to better insure that honest, impartial judges respond to the needs of the people. Click here to read more.
The Association for a More Just Society (AJS) oversees and funds initiatives carried out by Honduran partner organization la Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa (ASJ). AJS is a US-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so all donations to AJS are tax-deductible for US taxpayers.
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