27 February 2011 Last updated at 20:30 ET

March against violence in Honduras

Thousands of people in Honduras have joined a demonstration against rising criminal violence.

Dressed in white as a symbol of peace, the protesters marched in silence through the northern city of San Pedro Sula.

The march was organised by local civil society groups who want the government do more to improve public security.

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

President Porfirio Lobo took office in January 2010 on a promise to do more to tackle violent crime, but the number of killings has continued to rise.

On average there are around 15 murders a day, in a country with a population of 7.5 million.

San Pedro Sula - Honduras's second-largest city - is one of the areas worst affected.

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 US.

They are also thought to have growing links to Mexico's powerful drug-trafficking cartels.