“The Issues Affecting Children Do Not Exist in Isolation”

For years, if a child in Belize was being abused at home, the people meant to help fell into one bucket. If that same kid ended up in trouble with the law, a different set of people took over, often with little communication between the two. Today, the Government of Belize and UNICEF moved to close that gap.

Officials gathered to formally launch the Child Protection and Child Justice Steering Committee (CPSC), a new body merging groups that used to operate on separate tracks.

Officials say the move responds directly to a 2024 national assessment that found the existing setup was tangled with overlapping committees and unclear lines of responsibility, the kind of confusion that can leave a vulnerable child waiting while agencies figure out whose job it actually is.

The new committee is intended to fix that by bringing government ministries, the National Commission for Families and Children, the Office of the Special Envoy for Families and Children, and UNICEF and other partners under one structure, with a five-year plan mapping out the work ahead.

“The issues affecting children do not exist in isolation,” said Director of Human Services Shawn Vargas. “They require a coordinated, timely and child-centred response.”