Victims Shouldn’t Be Dismissed for Changing Their Mind

The combined efforts aim to tackle gender-based violence in all its forms, including domestic violence, sexual violence, human trafficking, and harassment. In a press release, the police department stated that the new name aligns with its evolving mission to address violence not only within domestic settings but also in various scenarios where individuals face violence based on their gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Minister Balderamos-Garcia recalled a harrowing incident involving a San Pedro woman who was viciously attacked and beaten by her estranged husband in November. The woman had to jump off a moving jet ski to seek help in Caye Caulker after being taken hostage. The minister highlighted the reality that many victims choose not to pursue a court case but want their report on record for future reference, should they face a similar situation with the same offender.

 

On the Phone: Dolores Balderamos-Garcia, Minister of Human Development

“I want to mention something that came to my attention about a month and a half ago that sometimes when women file a report or make a report to the police, and they say it is for future reference. In other words, it was serious enough. Whatever incident it may have been, the woman felt and I’m speaking specifically about women – now, the woman may have felt that it was significant enough to make a report to the police, but based on many, many human factors, she may not want to pursue a criminal charge against the perpetrator. So she says, “I am filing this report for future reference.” And so, it came to my attention that sometimes the court system may wish to take the view that, “Oh, you know, if you’re filing a report for future reference, then you’re going to come to court and withdraw the case and waste our time.” And so, now, please, I am not throwing any stone at any individual magistrate or legal person or judge. I’m just saying that sometimes you may have the attitude that, oh, you know, they’re going to come to court and withdraw the charge. And so it is not something that we should get into. I want to say that that is not something that any court system should do. I would highly decry and discourage that because we all know that when it comes to gender-based violence, intimate partner violence, domestic violence, these issues are extremely complex, difficult to deal with. And why? Because many, many times children are involved and a woman. Even a man, but mostly the woman would stay in the relationship because of the children and because of wanting to keep the family together, despite maybe an ongoing abuse, which is verbal, which is, you know, by gestures, by actions, by withholding money for the household.”