Darrell Bradley on Constitution Rights Afforded to Belizeans

Attorney Darrell Bradley went into greater details on how the Constitution of Belize differs from other constitutions in Central America when it comes to the rights that citizens enjoy. According to Bradley, the Constitution of Belize speaks solely to political rights, while other national constitutions within the region include social and economic rights. He explained that this is why Belize’s constitution does not include an individual’s right to owning land or getting an education. But, Bradley says that this can change through the process the People’s Constitution Commission is currently undertaking.

Darrell Bradley

Darrell Bradley, Attorney- At- Law

“The constitution of Belize is different from several other constitutions, particularly constitutions that are in Central America. So our constitution, and this is why it’s very important, the work of the PCC in engaging with the public and just having people appreciate and understand what’s actually in there. Our constitution only addresses what are called political rights. So the constitution only deals with due process rights. For example, you wouldn’t be arrested. You would have the right of due process. You have the right to bail and so forth. Then you also have the right to the protection of your private property. You have the right to freedom of conscience. You have the right to fundamentally life, which is the first right. So those are all political rights. Our constitution does not deal with what are called social or economic rights.   So you won’t see anything that has to do with the right to land in the constitution. You won’t have anything that has to do with their right to education or water and so forth. Certain international treaties now, which are incorporated by reference into the constitution, because Belize’s preamble says that we will operate as a nation that respects its international treaty obligations, For example, you have the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child. And that constitution for children speaks to enforceable economic and social rights, like the right to an education, and those things would be something that would be incorporated indirectly in the constitution, but only as it relates to children. And we can then, as part of this process, say that we want the constitution to be more representative. We want the constitution to include a wider array of rights that are not just political rights, but that would be something that the people would say.”