Belize Gears Up for Sixteen Days of Activism

It’s a heartbreaking reality, in just the last twenty days, at least five lives have been lost to gender-based violence here in Belize. And what’s even more troubling is that these tragedies come right on the heels of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Now, as November twenty-fifth marks the start of the global Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, the spotlight is once again on the urgent need for change. Minister of Human Development, Thea Garcia-Ramirez, says the government is stepping up efforts to make Belize safer for women and children. Today, she shared more about the campaign and what’s being done to tackle this crisis head-on.

 

Thea Garcia-Ramirez, Minister of Human Development

“We are starting the sixteen days  of activism against gender based violence on November twmety-fifth. And as usual, I look to the media houses to partner with us to engage, to ensure that the message is heard loud and clear in every Ian family across this country. So that we understand the problem, we can find ways to address it collectively and individually as CSOs, civil service organizations. Certainly government ministries and even in the private sector, there are many ways each and every one of us in our families, in our communities can address it, learn about it, learn the red flags, learn what it is there. Physical violence and sexual violence are only a couple of the manifestations, but you have financial abuse, you have emotional abuse, you have verbal abuse. And all of these things are violence against women, violence against children primarily. The act  against gender-based violence is undergoing a revision. There is currently an act and we will be having consultations and socialization of the proposed draft. Of course we expect that everyone will come on board, especially civil society organizations and all our partners and stakeholders. We’re inviting them to come forward. Review the bill. You can certainly reach out through all of our social media handles, and we’ll make it available and. Right after the sixteen days, we’ll make that widely available for consultation.”