Belize Has New Gender Policy

Belize now has a gender policy, after thirteen years. The 2024-2030 gender policy was approved and adopted by the Cabinet on Monday. Consultations were held with the various stakeholders over the past three years and according to the chairperson of the National Women’s Commission, Thea Garcia-Ramirez, the policy is an overarching one that addresses marginalized groups.

 

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 withwomen 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.”