Desperate Central American families fleeing violence are denied their right to protection and increasingly turned back to insecurity by military forces, barbed wires and walls.

In recent years Mexico has increasingly become a country of origin, transit and destination for migrants and refugees.

Mexico faces widespread violence and organised crime that forces many families from their homes each year. There were an estimated 392,000 displaced people in Mexico at the end of 2023, although the actual figure is likely to be much higher. Mexico is also an origin, transit country and destination for refugees and migrants alike.

I am from Honduras, from the Choluteca region. One day in early 2018, I was in a shop in my village buying food, when some boys came to rob the place. They attacked me and I was shot four times, but I am here to tell the tale because I was saved by a miracle. What I didn't know then was that this was just the beginning of many sad stories – and not even the worst.

The consequences of gang violence are dire in Central America. Around 600,000 people are internally displaced. In the last 6 years, 72,000 people have been murdered in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. An unknown number of people have disappeared.

Evens is a 30-year-old man from Haiti. As he walks through the door of the interview space, his self-confidence is palpable, despite the fact that he is currently living in a shelter in southern Mexico, thousands of miles away from his country and his loved ones, and immersed in a different culture and language.

El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico continue to face devastating crises. These crises are driven by generalised violence, recurrent extreme weather events, structural poverty and inequality, political instability, and other factors.

In communities controlled by criminal groups in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, there are significant barriers to accessing the right to health. This can trigger internal and cross-border displacement, but fleeing to a neighbouring country, such as Mexico, does not guarantee access to adequate healthcare.

In communities controlled by criminal groups in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, extortion is a part of daily life. People with small businesses, people working in public transportation, residents and children are particularly affected, and often have to close their businesses or be confined to their homes. Extortion is also one of the main reasons why people have to flee their homes in the North of Central America, as well as one of the main crimes that people are subjected to during displacement and migration through Mexico.

Despite being deported at the Mexican border earlier this year, many Central Americans are embarking on the dangerous journey again in search of safety.