Along with neighboring El Salvador and Guatemala, Honduras has one of the highest murder rates in the world

In Honduras, there are on average around 15 murders a day, in a country with a population of 7.5 million. Much of the killing is blamed on criminal gangs known as Maras, which have thousands of members and a presence throughout Central America as well as in the United States. They are also thought to have growing links to Mexico's powerful drug-trafficking cartels.