Northern Honduras: in the fertile and lush Bajo Aguán region, there has been continuous violence, uninvestigated corruption and brazen lawlessness since 2009. The violence can be traced back to the agrarian law enacted in 1992, which allowed for the sale of large tracts of land that previously could only be owned collectively. The government's decision to change the law sparked questions of land sale legality and provoked unforeseen violence.

Human Rights Watch conducted two fact-finding trips to Honduras between February and April 2013 to examine the rising climate of impunity in Bajo Aguán and to unearth details regarding countless crimes (killings, disappearances, forced evictions and sexual violence) that have occurred in relation to, directly or indirectly, the violent land disputes between the campesino communities and the larger argo-industrial firms. Human Rights Watch produced a resulting 80-page report, compiling numerous interviews and detailed research, showcasing the thorough corruption and civil unrest in the dangerous region.

Thousands of acres of land were transferred from campesino communities — made up of small-scale farmers — to large agro-industrial firms by new agrarian laws. The industrial firms claim ownership, while "former" campesino owners maintain that the land belongs to them. In an attempt to get their land back, campesino organizations have opted to file appeals through administrative channels and physically occupy contested land, setting up temporary housing and schools on the property. But the firms responded with intimidation, threats, beatings, and the killing of peasants by private security guards, according to the HRW report. Government security force intervened, but often made the situation worse with arbitrary detentions, torture, and forced evictions.

Most victims killed in land disputes in Bajo Aguán from 2009 through 2012, were members of peasant organizations. Aware of this, the government took a different route to mitigate the disputes, pledging to hand over land to the campesino organizations, which they did, but the action was ineffective in settling disputes. The army was deployed into the area three times in three years, but the 'fight fire with fire' infusion of troops proved to be ineffective as it didn't bring an end to standing violence, nor did it address the fact that responsible parties were never brought to justice for crimes.

In April 2013, then-Attorney General Luis Alberto Rubí told the Honduran Congress that 80 percent of homicides in Honduras went unpunished because "investigative organs don't have the capacity to respond."

Bajo Aguán has the highest murder rate in the world, in a nation that's notorious for "ineffective investigations." Bajo Aguán is an area that boasts weak prosecution, where criminals aren't pursued. According to Human Rights Watch, prosecutors' explanations for their failure to investigate include having "a dearth of personnel and critical resources; resistance by police to carrying out investigative steps requested by prosecutors; and distrust and resulting lack of cooperation of witnesses."

Authorities don't conduct autopsies on victim's bodies; they don't collect key pieces of evidence, such as weapons used in killings; and officials refuse to provide details on specific cases, claiming confidentiality protections for pending investigations. Because of this, victims and their families don't reach out to the authorities. They are reluctant because they are unprotected, and consequently authorities lose access to crucial leads and relevant information.

"Effective prosecution is one of the best ways to deter violence because it sends a message to would-be perpetrators that their transgressions have serious consequences, and because it deters repeat offenders from committing more violent crimes. Conversely, weak or nonexistent efforts send the dangerous signal that authorities are indifferent to or even condone such violence," said the report.

While authorities fail to punish the deserving, that does not stop them from assigning responsibility. President Porfirio Lobo (January 2010 - January 2014) blamed organized crime, illegal armed groups, and infiltrators from neighboring countries. Military officials in the region told Human Rights Watch that campesino groups contracted with armed "criminal groups" to assist in the seizing of land illegally, and they're the bulk of serious violence. However, authorities have failed to suggest that private security firms hired by landowners could be responsible for the widespread human rights violations. While members of private security are not government officials, they must abide by the same standard and national laws — which they often don't. So, when private security officers violate the law, police routinely fail to take the appropriate steps to punish the guilty. Simultaneously, the government fails to take preventative steps to protect the vulnerable.

Juan Orlando Hernández was named as Honduras' new president on Jan. 27, 2014. And, while he hasn't been in office long enough to determine if there will be a change to way the government is run, it's likely that the beatings and killings will persist, HRW said.

Human Rights Watch composed a list of recommendations, included in their report. The recommendations addressed the government of Honduras, the public prosecutor's office, the Ministry of Human Rights and Justice, the Ministry of Security, concerned governments, and the landowners, corporations, and private security firms, requesting that they all do their part in making that region a safer, more livable place.

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