Year: 2024

Women in leadership roles in the church were also a part of the consultative process and while the church has its stance on certain groups on gender issues, Garcia-Ramirez says the women leaders in the church gave their support to the policy.

Thea Garcia Ramirez, Chair, National Women’s Commission

“What it does for people who are marginalized, and I know that this is a point of contention, but this is from the government’s point of view and the government has is duty bound to ensure that it does the same for all citizens. And so in areas of discrimination, it speaks to how we can true social and behavioral change. And there’s a whole strategy that we are implementing now to ensure true education to advocacy that those incidences are certainly minimized we’re going to use education, we’re going to use advocacy and sensitization really live and let live. The feedback from the Council of Churches and other groups, I’m happy to say the consultations were extensive over three years of consultations with various groups. Even the media was invited, was sent the draft and were given an opportunity to peruse it, to ask questions. We also consulted with women in leadership positions in churches, and so they are definitely what this policy speaks to in terms of even, women within very conservative communities like Christian and church. And they also supported unanimously as a group. They supported the national gender policy.”

At the adjournment of Tuesday’s Senate meeting, NGO Senator Janelle Chanona ended the session on a sombre note. She rose to speak on the numerous incidents of violence against women that have occurred over the last four weeks. Chanona spoke directly to her Senate colleagues, urging them to contemplate the gravity of these events and to deliberate meaningful solutions.

Janelle Chanona, NGO Senator

“It is not your daughter who is grasping their cellphones, trebling fingers, trying to send a text to your wife to tell them that your intimate partner has just dealt you a death blow and they are trying to get a message out for you save the baby, your grandchild. It is not your grandchild. It is not your daughter who is in a car being chased by her ex-partner only to end up in a car accident and to have your daughter’s ex-partner come up to the car and tell you, if I can’t have you no one can have you. It is not your daughter or sister who has been killed by her intimate partner only to have him turn the weapon n himself and commit suicide. Details resembling those cases have happened in the last four weeks right here in Belize that is the situation we are facing. Last week I heard mention that there was a woman who was facilitated. The reality is that if we are not providing opportunities for equity and equality and addressing gender-based violence wherever it starts, in language in the streets, in the workplace, in parliament, we are setting the tone for how our women and girls will continue to be treated. I call this out as a matter of urgent importance because we cannot have high functioning damaged people trying to help damaged people. We must make sure we are able to be healthy, fulfilled and feel safe.”

The Briceño Administration continues to make efforts to reform Belize’s criminal justice system. On Tuesday, Eamon Courtenay, the Lead Senator for Government Business, introduced three legislative reforms to the Senate. These bills are intended to expunge certain convictions from an individual’s criminal records so long as they have served their time. It also aims to provide a mechanism for alternative sentencing for individuals who are convicted of crimes that are not of a serious nature. Senator Courtenay explained further.

Eamon Courtenay, Lead Senator, Government Business

“The idea is to recognize that the people who have been rehabilitated, people who have paid their debt to society should be allowed to be reincorporated into society and the criminal record against them be expunged. Having a criminal record as you know affects many people applying for jobs, visas and other services when an application form requires you to say, have you been found guilty of a criminal offense. The purpose here is to in the limited number of offenses listed in the act, is to expunge those convictions in the circumstance established in the act by the board that will be established by the act. The purpose is to allow those persons who have served their time and have been rehabilitated to have their record expunged, therefore the stigma of their conviction would be removed. There is a provision that precludes that a person’s conviction after their record has been expunged. The second piece of legislation is the alternative sentencing bill. This bill is designed to repeal the existing legislation. What the judiciary reported was that between 2016 and 2022 over sixty percent of the five thousand three hundred and eighty-eight persons serving custodial sentences were convicted and imprisoned for immigration offenses and other nonviolent and serious offense such as nonpayment of debts, fines and maintenance orders. The prison is filled with people who have not committed serious offenses. Important offense, yes violations of law, but the judiciary has no tool to provide alternatives modes of sentencing.”

Belize received approval for the Korean Economic Development Corporation Fund, and under that eligibility, a team of consultants from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, CABEI, visited the country last week. The purpose of the visit was to conduct feasibility studies for proposed projects. These studies focused on the rehabilitation and possible expansion of three hospitals across the country, as well as a study to address the need for modernizing the Port of Belize and the feasibility of a bulk port in the country to encourage exportation. We spoke with the Minister of Economic Development, Doctor Osmond Martinez, to learn how these consultations went.

Dr. Osmond Martinez, Minister of Economic Development

“The preliminary findings from Punta Gorda Hospital and the preliminary results are saying that Punta Gorda needs new equipment, they need more medical presence, medical doctors there, but also a facility where to host the medical experts, in this case, for example, to build apartments for them or a housing system where they can stay. As it comes to KHMH, they are working very closely with the CEO of KHMH. And in or in as well they’re the preliminary results are not so far, but, Punta Gorda is the one who is a little bit ahead is a priority for the government to work in Punta Gorda and to strengthen the health system there as soon as possible. The Port of Belize, they’re just looking at the TOR, and so they are having discussions with the different stakeholders and developing the TOR for feasibility studies, but there have been a lot of studies on the port and so one of the things that we don’t want is more studies, we want solutions and to help solve whatever problem can come out from there, but more important is to have a bulk port in the future where we can position ourself as a regional hub because Belize is in very good position in terms of serving the south of Mexico, especially Quintanaroo and the Yucatan peninsula.  And at the same time, we can easily become. The hope for the Caribbean in certain products, especially when it comes with the movement of products that comes from Mexico or even from Guatemala. In addition to that there is  a very strangling right now in terms of economic, regional economic integration, and Belize has to position itself well. And geographically, we are well positioned to be part of the development that it will happen in the Pacific corridor, which will be connecting the Atlantic Ocean, which means that Belize can easily serve as a hope for a cargo distribution into the Caribbean, but also serve the southern part of Mexico.”