Honduras: Whether the La Venta Battalion in Latanga is ignoring the abolition of obligatory military service and is forcibly conscripting young men in villages, particularly in El Esconito (1997 to present)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 April 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | HND31575.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Honduras: Whether the La Venta Battalion in Latanga is ignoring the abolition of obligatory military service and is forcibly conscripting young men in villages, particularly in El Esconito (1997 to present), 1 April 1999, HND31575.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abaf64.html [accessed 19 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
No reports on whether La Venta Battalion, located in the Francisco Morazán Department, is ignoring the abolition of obligatory military service could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
However, War Resisters' International's survey of military service worldwide states that in Honduras the last call-up for military service was in November 1994 and that of the 7,000 young men called-up at that time to enlist, only 2,000 did so (Refusing to Bear Arms Sept. 1998, 142). According to the survey, there were no reports of forced recruitment by the armed forces in Honduras from 1994 to the date of the report which was April 1998 (ibid.).
In a 7 April 1999 telephone interview with the Research Directorate, a professor of political science, who specializes in Honduran civil and military relations at Dickinson College in Carlisle, stated that he has heard of no reports of forced conscription anywhere in Honduras since 1994.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Professor, Department of Political Science, Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. 7 April 1999. Telephone interview.
War Resisters' International. September 1998. Refusing to Bear Arms: A World Survey of Conscription and Conscientious Objection to Military Service. London: War Resisters' International.
Additional Sources Consulted
Central America NewsPak [Austin]. 1997-1999.
Central America Report [Austin]. 1997-1999.
Latinamerica Press [Lima]. 1997-1999.
Latin America Regional Reports: Caribbean & Central America Report [London]. 1997-1999.
Electronic sources: IRB Databases, LEXIS/NEXIS, Internet, REFWORLD and WNC.
