After-Hours Protection for Domestic Violence Victims
More than a year after Angelita Magaña and her six-year-old son were killed in a deliberately set house fire, authorities are closing a dangerous gap in Belize’s domestic violence response. Eighteen specially trained Senior Justices of the Peace can now issue emergency protection orders when the courts are closed, including on weekends and public holidays. The new system aims to ensure that victims seeking urgent help are never again told to wait until Monday. Benita Keme-Palacio reports.
Benita Keme-Palacio, Reporting
In October 2025, Angelita Magaña sought legal protection after receiving threats from her former common-law partner, Francisco Godoy. She went to court on a Friday seeking a restraining order, but was told to return on Monday. Before then, police say Godoy set fire to Magaña’s home in San Felipe Village, Orange Walk, while the family was inside. The fire killed Magaña and her six-year-old son, Godoy. Her teenage daughter, Shadia, suffered severe injuries and spent weeks in the hospital. Godoy later died from injuries sustained during the incident.
File: October 21st, 2025
Thea Garcia-Ramirez
Thea Garcia-Ramirez, Minister of Human Development
“I have to take responsibility for what is done or not done at the ministry because each one of us has a part to play, each one of us has a responsibility to call it out, to report it. If you have to report it a thousand times then report it a thousand times.”
The killings exposed a critical weakness in the system: victims who needed immediate protection outside regular court hours had nowhere to turn. For Thea Garcia-Ramirez, Minister of Human Development, Family Support and Gender Affairs, the aftermath remains unforgettable.
On the Phone: Thea Garcia-Ramirez, Minister of Human Development
“I remember going to San Felipe and seeing her mother, the grandmother of the children, among three coffins. It’s one of those images that I think is burned into my brain, and I won’t ever forget.”
In December 2025, members of the Briceño administration wore orange in the House of Representatives to show solidarity with survivors during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. But the government also moved beyond symbolism by amending the Domestic Violence Act.
Thea Garcia-Ramirez
“All members on this side are wearing orange as a unified expression of solidarity with survivors and as an expression of the Government of Belize’s zero tolerance stand against gender-based violence. And while today is symbolic, the issue before us is real and urgent.”
The amendments gave selected Senior Justices of the Peace the authority to issue emergency interim protection orders when magistrates’ courts are closed. However, those new powers could not take effect until the designated JPs completed specialized training. In January, Attorney General Anthony Sylvestre explained that Senior JPs needed specific preparation before taking on duties normally handled by a magistrate.
That training began in June and included Senior JPs, police officers and social workers. About thirty people took part, but only eighteen qualified JPs were selected and sworn in at the Family Court in Belize City on October thirtieth. Each appointee must have at least five years’ experience as a Justice of the Peace. Adrian Madrid says the service is crucial on weekends and holidays, when courts close and domestic violence often rises.
Adrian Madrid
Adrian Madrid, Select Senior Justice of the Peace
“Especially Christmas time and holiday, those weekends we have noticed that that’s when a lot of violence happens, especially when people are drinking and partying. After they party, then, you know, you have problems, and that’s when the abuse comes. And there, there’s nowhere to go. You can’t call nobody because they can’t remand nobody. So the training that we took taught us how to remand, how to do the magistrate work. So we act on weekends like a magistrate. And our names, or we have to get a special stamp that says Select Senior JPs.”
The Select Senior JPs will remain on call from five o’clock on Friday afternoons until the courts reopen. They will also be available during public holidays and can issue emergency interim protection orders lasting up to seventy-two hours. Victims must access the service through designated police stations. Madrid says the JPs will not conduct interviews at private homes because the police station provides security for victims and the officials processing their applications.
Adrian Madrid
“We do not do interviews at home or any other place but the police station, where the police are there, where people have more respect for law and order, and security for us too. Because if you’re being threatened or beaten by your husband, you come to my house to report it and the man follows you, then me and you are in trouble, you know? So we have to go somewhere where we are protected.”
The eighteen Select Senior JPs are stationed across the districts, and authorities expect the program to grow as more qualified Senior JPs complete the training. For anyone facing an immediate threat when the courts are closed, the first step is to go to the nearest police station.
Thea Garcia-Ramirez
“If you are in trouble, please reach out to your nearest police station. You will get help, you will find help, there is help available.”
Benita Keme-Palacio for News Five.
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