According
to a study by the Economic Commission for Latin America and UNICEF,
in Honduras two-thirds of children are malnourished and lack access
to safe water, sanitation and education.
Poverty
also affects nearly 81 million children under the age of 18 in Latin
America and the Caribbean, according to these U.N. agencies. (Prensa
Latina, May 19)
The
National Statistics Institute also reports that in Honduras, a
country of 8 million inhabitants, 60 percent of people live below the
poverty line; in rural areas, the rate rises to 65.4 percent.
(Resistencia, May 20)
Almost
two years ago, right-wing forces, supported by the Obama
administration, carried out the successful overthrow of the popularly
elected government of President Manuel Zelaya. The coup was
implemented after Honduras became aligned with the Bolivarian
Alliance for the Americas (ALBA), an organization that promotes the
welfare of poor and working people in countries in Latin America and
the Caribbean. Recently, on May 22, an agreement was reached to allow
Zelaya to return to Honduras.
The
coup government looked to the 2009 elections to gain some semblance
of legitimacy. The carefully managed election handed Porfirio Lobo
Sosa the presidency. The Lobo government promptly showed its true
colors by removing Honduras from ALBA.
The
U.S.-backed Lobo regime and the U.S. corporations that function in
Honduras have no interest in bettering conditions for the poor and
working people of the country. Historically, Honduras was the first
“banana republic,” and that is exactly what the U.S. corporations
want. They want a Honduras that can generate more profits for
themselves from the plunder of land and resources with no regard for
the needs of workers.
The
current U.S.-backed Honduran government has been called on by the
ECLA and UNICEF to end the social and economic hardships of the
people of Honduras. But with upcoming visits by the International
Monetary Fund planned, it can only be expected that the rights and
interests of the poor and working people of Honduras will be the last
thing on the agenda.
