Survey shows domestic violence widespread
The Ministry of Health along with the Women’s Department has compiled information on domestic violence through reports it receives from the Police’s Family Violence Unit. The Domestic Violence Surveillance Data reveals what most people already suspect: men are usually the aggressors in the home.
Dr. Jorge Polanco, Deputy Director, Health Services
“There’s a module to record domestic violence throughout the country. Because this is a new initiative, this national information system, especially this module, we decided that it is time to really put forward a report to share with the citizens, what is the situation in regards to family violence in Belize.”
Jose Sanchez
“What is the situation?”
Dr. Jorge Polanco
“The reality is that it’s very interesting to learn that once we began looking out for cases, we have detected almost six hundred cases in a period of, I would say sixteen months; from September 1999 to December last year. We detected about five hundred and sixty-three cases more or less of family violence. We know for sure this is not the true figure because most of the cases, about ninety-four percent of the cases, were in Belize District.”
Joan Burke, Director, HECOPAB
“Dr. Polanco shared with you what we have seen, that most of the cases are being reported in Belize City. That is not to say that Belize City has the highest incidence. As I said earlier, those are reported cases. We know that domestic violence is something that is still very sensitive, and we find that people are still reluctant to actually report, for many different reasons. So what the ministry is in the process of doing, is to make a comprehensive service or to provide comprehensive service to those persons. Not only those who…we don’t usually refer to them as victims, but those who are suffering as well as those who are actually committing that offence. The other thing that we try to do is to make people realise that family violence is a crime and therefore there is a legal part of it. And so even in the approach, we do that kind of coordination with the Police Department as well.”
Burke says that while domestic violence is common amongst spouses, there have been cases reported of senior citizens being abused by their children.
