Mother Comes Forward to Reveal Domestic Abuse and Trauma

Nine out of ten victims of domestic violence in Belize are women. So far this year, there have been 1,715 reports, with over 60% involving intimate partner violence, according to the Belize Crime Observatory. This year’s figure accounts for over 400 additional cases compared to 2024.

Recent tragedies, including the death of Angelita Magaña and her two children, have drawn renewed attention to these numbers and the reality that systems meant to protect victims often fail.

For one mother, home was a constant place of fear. She described being attacked by her partner while her children watched. “I begged him to please leave me alone, but he kept pushing me to my stomach. My kids were crying and banging on the door,” she said. Her 7-year-old son even took a knife from her abuser and threw it through a window to protect her.

She also described the emotional toll of living with constant threats and degradation. Her abuser would say, “‘Nobody will want you with yo lotta pikney, you’re fat and ugly,'” leaving her feeling trapped, isolated, and doubting her own worth. 

Experts say that psychological abuse can reinforce this sense of entrapment, making it difficult for women to seek help or leave dangerous relationships. In the case of this mother, she said, “I was very naive at the time and dependent on him; I had no friends and was ashamed to tell my family what I was going through.”

Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that “about 1 in 3 (30%) of women worldwide have been subjected to either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.” WHO warns that “violence can negatively affect women’s physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health.”

These stories and statistics show the urgent need to protect women and children and address the lasting psychological impact of domestic violence.