Belize Hosts Trafficking in Persons Leadership Summit to Enhance Anti-Trafficking Efforts

On Thursday, August 29, 2024, the Human Trafficking Institute (HTI), in collaboration with the Anti-Trafficking in Persons (ATIPs) Council of the Government of Belize, hosted the Trafficking in Persons Leadership Summit. This event is part of a CARSI grant project titled “A TIPPING POINT 2.0,” awarded to HTI in September 2022. The summit aimed to enhance best practices in Belize’s anti-trafficking efforts and to foster collaboration and coordination across various government ministries and departments. It provided an opportunity to reflect on global best practices and common challenges in addressing human trafficking.

The agenda covered several key topics, including: best practices for government leadership on trafficking in persons, the situation of trafficking in Belize, trafficking in the Caribbean and Latin America, and effective strategies for working with victims of trafficking. The summit concluded with a joint SWOT analysis by the leadership, which identified key action items for future progress.

The Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, reaffirmed the Belize Police Department’s unwavering support in combating human trafficking. He stressed the importance of using the nation’s freedom to secure the freedom of those ensnared by the invisible chains of human trafficking.

Attendees included representatives from key departments and ministries such as the Office of Public Prosecutions, the Belize Police Department and its Anti-Trafficking in Persons Police Unit, the Labour Department, the Ministry of National Defence, the Department of Local Government, and the Department of Human Services.

In a statement, CEO Adele Catzim-Sanchez of the Ministry of Human Development, Families, and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs highlighted that “as we move forward, let us remember that our leadership will be judged not only by the policies we implement but by the lives we transform and the injustices we eradicate.”