Belize’s elderly push for rights
Last week News 5’s Jacqueline Woods attended a workshop held to sensitise journalists to the concerns of the elderly. The session must have worked, because tonight she’s back with another report, this time on efforts by Belize’s oldest citizens to assert their rights and advance their agenda.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
“Last year five Caribbean countries, including Belize, participated in a capacity building and advocacy project for older persons. That meeting was held to help senior citizens know their rights, to ensure that laws and policies that discriminate against older persons are changed and to implement policies and programmes that will help senior citizens enjoy their rights. Well, one year later, Belize’s senior citizens have gathered to discuss those issues and to come up with their own plan of action.”
Lindy Jeffrey, Project Officer, Helpage Belize
“We have people from every single district in Belize today. And I think it is really wonderful that they have made the effort to come here and be part of this process that we are going through at the moment of looking at how they can make changes for themselves.”
No matter where the participants reside, the men and women expressed the same problems. I spoke with one group from Punta Gorda who shared their experience.
Damian Martinez
“We need a lot of financial assistance, including me.”
Jacqueline Woods
“Because once you retire and if you don’t have a pension to look forward to, I understand all you receive is two hundred dollars a month?”
Damian Martinez
“Yes, yes. There is nothing no financial assistance for the elderly in Punta Gorda, because we all work when there was no Social Security scheme. I worked all my life.”
Jacqueline Woods
“So what are you getting?”
Damian Martinez
“Nothing, absolutely nothing.”
Jacqueline Woods
“And I guess the social assistance of five dollars a week that ‘s like nothing?”
Damian Martinez
“Nothing.”
Florence Galvez
“I was a teacher and still teaching, but at home. I got gratuity, I get a pension, a monthly pension and I’m getting assistance from Social Security. But that’s for me.”
Dominica Lambey
“We make out own job in Punta Gorda. We the women, we don’t have nothing to do, we don’t have Social Security, no job or nothing, we fight hard to make our own living in Punta Gorda. We are living in Punta Gorda by grace of the good Lord.”
Jacqueline Woods
“So what do elderly persons in Punta Gorda do to make some money?”
Dominica Lambey
“Fishing and bush that’s, the only thing.”
Helpage Belize, the organization that has been an advocate for older persons for almost twenty years, strongly believes that old age should not be a burden and have embarked on a campaign to make life better for the elderly. Apart from the personal presentations, much of the discussion focused on the National Policy For Older Persons and the urgent need for a National Plan of Action. Belize became a signatory to the International Plan of Action for Older Persons in April 2002 and it’s now up to the newly formed National Council on Ageing to see that the commitment is met.
Kamela Palma, Chairperson, National Council on Ageing
“What we need to put into effect as soon as possible is the National Plan of Action. We haven’t sat as a council, in fact we are meeting tomorrow, we haven’t sat to decide on a time frame. My feeling is that we should really have that plan of action at least in draft by mid year.”
One change the participants are looking forward to is the improvement in our laws. A review of legislation has been undertaken by former Chief Justice Sir George Brown, and his recommendations will be included in the national plan. As explained by Attorney Rodwell Williams, there are no laws that specifically deal with older persons.
Rodwell Williams, Board Member, Helpage Belize
“While currently there is no law specifically that you might say…no particular piece of legislation that specifically address the rights of older persons, whether in area of national insurance, public assistance, domestic violence and so on, older persons are particularly impacted in those areas, but there are no specific legislation. The hope is that this review would focus and ensure that where there is an omission, some draft or some specific proposed legislation could be advanced to the Cabinet and hopefully be implemented into law.”
Next year, Helpage Belize will celebrate its twentieth anniversary. It’s chairperson, Maria Elena Sylvestre, says while there is much work to be done, they have accomplished a lot in the past two decades for senior citizens.
Maria Elena Sylvestre, Chairperson, Helpage Belize
“And at this point in time we may have not succeeded with every single older person in this country, but look what ahs happened, we have a government who has committed itself to a national policy for older persons. This is the document that we will hold our leaders responsible for.”
…And from the attendance at the forum, we should expect to hear a lot more from our older citizens. Jacqueline Woods for News 5.
The Older Persons Forum was sponsored by the British High Commission through its small grants scheme.
