UNICEF Representative Visits Detained Thirteen-Year-Old Boy Detained Under S.O.E.

The Representative for UNICEF in Belize, Alison Parker, alongside Home Affairs Minister Kareem Musa, representatives from the Human Development Ministry and other government officials visited the Wagner’s Youth Facility on Monday to inspect conditions following the detention of a thirteen-year-old boy from Belize City during the ongoing State of Emergency (SOE). The teenage boy is among those held during a ninety-day SOE targeting individuals believed to be gang members.

Parker says that UNICEF is committed to advocating for the boy and other minors affected by the state of emergency.

Parker told News 5 that they decided to make a visit to the facility to get a firsthand look at the situation.  

Commissioner of Police Chester Williams and the Minister of Human Development and Social Transformation have addressed concerns over the boy’s detention. Attorney Leslie Mendez was denied access to the boy without a court order. In a letter to the Minister of Home Affairs, Kareem Musa, Mendez argued that both the Belize Constitution and recent statutory instruments guarantee detainees’ right to legal representation. She highlighted concerns about the boy’s detention conditions, noting that he is being held in solitary confinement, which she claims violates international human rights conventions, particularly the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Commissioner Williams stated that the boy is detained for being a threat to himself and others.