Calling Out Injustice Against Security Guards And Cleaning Women In Honduras

December 4, 2016

Cleaning and security companies in Honduras are notorious for not respecting the rights of their workers. Despite contracts with major state institutions, most get away with paying their workers less than the legal minimum wage, and working them as many as 96 hours per week without any extra pay or overtime. ASJ (formerly known as AJS) has put together a study of the current state of security guards and cleaning women in state institutions in Honduras, pressuring the government to guarantee the labor rights of these workers.

“They talk about our rights, well, rights, we don’t have.”

Hundreds of cleaning women are contracted to work in government institutions in Honduras. They’re not government employees – the institutions pay a cleaning company, who provides the workers. Hundreds of security guards are contracted in the same way. From sunup to sundown they stand at entries or walk through hallways, looking out for the people in the building.

These are the companies that ASJ lawyer Dionisio Diaz Garcia was up against when he was defending the rights of security guards ten years ago. These are the companies that sent someone to kill him, rather than accept the consequences of their exploitation.

Now, ten years later, ASJ has put together a study of the current state of security guards and cleaning women in state institutions in Honduras. The study used over 300 surveys to gather data, which showed that for most workers, situations have not improved. ASJ will use this study to pressure the government to guarantee the labor rights of all workers, but especially those who work in their buildings, who clean their floors and guard their gates.

Many of the stories that emerged in these studies are powerful – here three brave workers share their experiences and their desire for justice.

“Rights, we don’t have”, a Cleaning Woman’s Story

“No other Choice,” a Security Guard’s Story

“Empty Hands,” a Cleaning Woman’s Story

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ASJ Supporting Students’ Learning in Honduras

By Elizabeth Hickel • April 29, 2025

Earlier this month, The Banner published a story written by Our Shared Ministr y by Karina Guevara and Elmer Salinas . The authors showcase the work that ASJ-Honduras is doing to help and support students in Honduras. Karina and Elmer tell the story of Genesis Garcia, an 8-year-old, whose family struggles to find consistent jobs. "Genesis Garcia Baquedano is 8 years old and lives with her older brother, Anderson, and their parents in Honduras. Her parents work hard to support their family. Genesis’s father is a painter who struggles to find consistent work, and her mother is a street vendor who spends long hours away from home." According to Karina and Elmer, although Genesis is a good student, she was struggling with reading, writing, and math. This is where the ASJ-Hondurans' program, Strong Communities , comes to be a blessing. "Through God’s grace, Genesis and her family were able to join the Strong Communities program facilitated by World Renew’s local partner, Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, because the Spanish translation is Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa). Through the program, Genesis attended academic support sessions, where she impressed her tutors with her perseverance and enthusiasm. Now, Genesis’s teachers praise the program for the significant progress Genesis has been making at school." We are blessed to be able to help kids like Genesis and her family to be able to achieve their dreams and goals. You can read the full story HERE and learn more about the ASJ-Honduras Strong communities program HERE