Child Sex Crime Victims Can Now Testify Behind Closed Doors

Belize is taking a quiet but powerful step to change how justice is delivered for survivors of sexual abuse. Newly approved amendments to the Criminal Code are set to change the courtroom experience, especially for children, by allowing sensitive testimony to happen behind closed doors. The goal is to protect victims from fear, pressure, and public scrutiny so they can speak freely. Officials believe this could lead to stronger cases against offenders and higher conviction rates. CEO Adele Catzim Sanchez says the changes are about more than procedure, they’re about giving victims the confidence and support they need to come forward and be heard.

 

Adele Catzim Sanchez, CEO, Ministry of Human Development

“The sex offenders  registry is of convicted sex offenders, right? And not just those who are arrested or alleged to be offenders. One of the things that happens in court proceedings is that sometimes the children get re-traumatized or re-victimized by having their privacy and all the issues that they face being exposed to the general public. And our ministry has an obligation to protect the privacy of these children while at the same time ensuring that they get justice for the crimes perpetrated against them. And so in order to try to increase the rate of not just reporting sex offenses against children, but also taking the cases through the court system to enable justice, we feel that a key aspect of that is making sure that these cases are held in camera so that the children can be more comfortable giving their testimony in their cases. So our ministry’s been happy that we have the support of cabinet, and we have the support of the Attorney General’s Ministry to make sure that this amendment goes through. It will be tabled in Parliament in June, and it will go through the parliamentary process.”

 

The ministry is also working to deliver justice to victims of sex offenses with the newly introduced Families Bill which seeks to strengthen child protection by requiring that cases involving minors be resolved within a set timeframe. Advocates argue that delays in the court system prolong children’s trauma and deny them closure and maintain that by mandating quicker disposal of child protection cases, justice can be delivered more efficiently and increase convictions in sex offense cases.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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