Honduras: Tracking progress towards durable solutions to internal displacement
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). Mostly perpetrated by gangs, and fueled by drug money, the violence peaked in 2011 and has been steadily declining since. Yet many have abandoned their homes in pursuit of safety and a better future, inside and outside the country.
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 the internally displaced population (IDPs). 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.
Since forced displacement in Honduras occurs silently and invisibly, for an under-resourced organization like the Instituto Nacional de Estadística Honduras (INE Honduras), the cost and logistics of sampling IDPs are significant. IDPs are also dynamic and mobile. In the 2018, the estimated number of IDPs displaced on or before 2014 was 132,422 – almost a quarter less than the original estimate from the 2014 profiling.
The Honduran government has reaffirmed its commitment to addressing forced displacement as part of the Comprehensive Regional Framework for Protection and Solutions which needs to be informed with substantive data and evidence. However, where this data exists, it often does not meet the standards of international frameworks . The definition of who counts as an IDP does not align with the population framework outlined in the International Recommendations on Internally Displaced Persons Statistics (IRIS) and the scope of the surveys did not cover all the indicators in the Durable Solutions Indicators Library and the Sustainable Development Goals’ Indicator Framework . Yet these profiling exercises remain the main and only source of information on internal displacement in the country.
Activity
This activity is comprised of an annual survey series on internal displacement in Honduras, mixed-methods research into the drivers of displacement and building INE Honduras’s capacity to implement IRIS.
The objective of the Annual Survey Series is to produce updated estimates of IDP population stocks, inflows, and outflows and to produce comparable data on the living conditions and experiences of IDPs and host community members. It is envisioned as a repeated, cross-section representation of the population using remote enumeration and phone interviews. The surveys will employ an innovative sampling methodology to sample and screen respondents which will bring household enumeration into the realm of phone surveys. The project team will attempt to use weighting adjustments to allow for the generalization of findings to the overall population and the final sample will consist of all IDPs identified and a subsample from the host.
The final set of survey indicators will be agreed with INE Honduras, and key stakeholders and the questionnaire will cover all the basic IRIS variables plus a set of indicators that measure access to solutions. Collecting the same indicators for the host community will measure the progress towards durable solutions for IDPs. Data collection will be done through Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviews administered by trained enumerators operating at INE Honduras.
The project will include a qualitative component to identify the root-causes of displacement, its effects, and the main challenges related to durable solutions. For this component, focus groups and interviews with community leaders, State representatives and civil society organizations will also be conducted with subjects selected using age, gender and diversity criteria. To complement the qualitative findings, data from the annual survey series’ displacement trajectories module will be used to estimate of the basic characteristics of the at-risk population.
Partners
The Human Rights Secretariat (SEDH) will participate in the design, implementation and analysis resulting of mixed-methods research into the drivers of displacement. SEDH and CIPPDV will participate in the preparation and publication of the annual reports. CIPPDV will also disseminate the results and highlight the impact on public policy. UNHCR will provide technical and financial support to the national institutions, while the Expert Group on Refugee, Internal Displacement and Statelessness Statistics will provide technical support on international standards.
Contact
For further details on the JDC support for this activity, please contact:
- contact@jointdatacenter.org
- Harriet Mugera, JDC Focal Point, hmugera@worldbank.org