E/CN.4/2005/18/Add.5 page 3 In Honduras, the Special Rapporteur noted in particular the neglected state of the department of Gracias a Dios - inhabited mostly by the Miskito and Garifuna (or Garinagu) which lacked essential health and education infrastructure and was emblematic of the degree of marginalization of those peoples. This marginalization is illustrated, inter alia, by the deplorable situation of crayfish fishermen, who suffer cerebral and physical injuries owing to the frantic pace of underwater dives imposed by the boat owners and receive no social or medical assistance, particularly in the city of Puerto Lempira. On the Caribbean coast, the Garifuna people, who have maintained a strong cultural identity, believe that they have been kept on the margins of Honduran society and fear that they will eventually lose their language because of the shortage of bilingual programmes and control of their ancestral lands as a result of tourism development interests that do not respect their rights and cultural identity. Indigenous peoples also suffer from the inadequacy of government efforts to provide bilingual education. The Honduran Government is beginning to grasp the seriousness of the situation of indigenous and Garifuna peoples while failing to recognize the reality and cultural depth of racism and racial and ethnic discrimination. The limited number of complaints of racism, put forward as an indicator of the absence of discrimination, should rather be seen as a sign that racism is a feature of life and that victims are unaware of their rights and, in particular, of the penalties for racist acts, owing to the Government’s silence. An economic, social and political profile of these peoples has been developed recently with the support of the World Bank and should, in the opinion of the Special Rapporteur, help to meet their needs. The Special Rapporteur recommended that the Government should make a firmer commitment to combating racial discrimination, particularly by developing a plan of action, and that it should place greater value on the country’s ethnic diversity in order to build a genuinely multicultural and egalitarian society. He also proposed that effective measures should be taken to counter the most visible effects of racial discrimination in the areas of education, health and housing. The employers of stricken crayfish fishermen should consider compensating them and persons employed in this industry should be better protected. The International Labour Organization (ILO) should pay more attention to the right of Honduran crayfish fishermen to organize unions. It is also necessary to conduct a broad campaign against racial discrimination and raise awareness among victims of the recourse open to them.