Rights Inclusion Conference Hosted in Belize

A Rights Inclusion Conference was held today at the Radisson Fort George in Belize City. The event which is a collaborative effort between the Women’s Issues Network, better known as WIN-Belize, and the United Belize Advocacy Movement (UNIBAM) seeks to spark a discussion that human rights extend to every human being, and does not discriminate regardless of sexual orientation. Often seen as a penalty issue, since 2013 human rights has been perceived to be inclusive of Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender issues. According to Executive Director of UNIBAM, Caleb Orozco, all human rights are linked.

Caleb Orozco

Caleb Orozco, Executive Director, UNIBAM

“What many of us don’t understand is that rights are universal and indivisible meaning they are not divided. When we talk about human rights we are actually talking about systems that improve the quality of life of our people. Government for example invested a lot of money in improving health, in boost program to address poverty, for investment in tourism. Let’s talk about the LGBT issue. the conversation around the LGBT issue is a conversation around issues of employment and discrimination and education and housing. These are interconnected, universal things that we are all concerned about. Let’s talk about the investment in mechanisms, mechanisms which support the quality of life of our people as it pertains to the justice system. Let’s talk about that for instance where one percent of the GDP goes to the justice system never mind between 2000 and 2012 there were one thousand two hundred murders and between 2000 and 2009, there were four hundred and eighty-two rapes. What happened to the quality of life of those people who lost their loved ones or had their bodily integrity violated? What happened to the justice that they receive? So today, discussion is for us to recognize that whether you are disable, whether you are a sex worker, a transgender, gay, woman or child; that inclusion of rights is fundamental not only to a quality of life, but upholding the dignity of each individual citizen and we all have a role to play in asserting and defending that process.”