Belize Moves to Strengthen Domestic Violence Protections

The government has rolled out two key bills to give survivors faster access to safety. The Justices of the Peace (Amendment) Bill and the Domestic Violence (Amendment) Bill will allow specially trained Senior JPs to issue seventy-two-hour emergency protection orders when courts are closed, nights, weekends, and holidays. “These changes are a life-saving bridge between danger and safety,” said Minister Thea Garcia-Ramirez, who tabled the bills during Thursday’s house meeting. The reforms also require strict vetting of JPs, private spaces at police stations for victims, and stronger oversight. They form part of Belize’s National Gender-Based Violence Action Plan, alongside plans for a one-stop support center, expanded police training, and a national hotline. Public consultations on a modernized Domestic Violence Bill start during the Sixteen Days of Activism, with a new law expected in 2026.

 

Thea Garcia-Ramirez, Minister of Human Development

“Across our communities, we continue to see situations where victims urgently need protective orders but are unable to access a magistrate and this especially through during nights, weekends, holidays, emergencies or when courts are closed or very distant. Madam Speaker, these are the moments when lives are most at risk. The bill before this honourable House responds directly to these gaps. Furthermore Madam Speaker, the proposed amendments reflect ongoing collaboration among the Ministry of Human Development, Family Support and Gender Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Attorney General’s Ministry, the Family Court and the Justices of the Peace Association. It is through these multisectoral efforts that these two bills are presented today. The Justices of the Peace Amendment Bill 2025 amends the Justices of the Peace Act, Chapter one nineteen-zero one to empower designated select senior justices of the peace to issue ex-parte interim protection orders under the Domestic Violence Act in urgent and exceptional circumstances. The Domestic Violence Amendment Bill allows for above stated interim protection orders to be issued by justices of the peace. These orders will be valid for no more than seventy-two hours, just long enough to protect a victim until a magistrate can hear the matter. This is not a replacement for the court. It is a lifesaving bridge when the judicial system is temporarily inaccessible.”