Minority Rights Groups Condemns Draft Maya Land Policy

The government’s recent Draft Maya Customary Land Policy has come under fire by a human rights organization known as the Minority Rights Group which claims to work with ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples worldwide. In a recent post, the organization urged the Belizean government to, “respect the human and property rights of the Maya People of southern Belize and demands the immediate suspension of alarming terms contained in a recent draft policy related to Maya Customary lands that, if enacted, would severely limit Maya lands to a few kilometers at most”. The statement further goes on to stress the importance of land to the Mayan community, as they are connected through various means such as farming, hunting, gathering, as well spiritual connections. The organization claims that hostile reactions from government officials are fuelling anti-Maya sentiments in the dominant society and that the policy is a breach of international conventions.