Legal summit focuses on families
If you were looking for a lawyer today, chances are you were out of luck, as the majority of Belize’s legal community was attending the annual Bench and Bar Summit. The theme for this year’s gathering was “The Family and the Law”…and while that part of the legal system may not generate big fees for attorneys, it is probably the aspect of the law that affects the greatest number of Belizeans. News 5’s Marion Ali reports.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Attorney General, Godfrey Smith, says this year’s theme is pertinent to much of what takes place in our society because everyone has views about family matters.
Godfrey Smith, Attorney General
“Governments may try to reduce the damaging social effects that family break-downs can have. But on the whole I believe we must recognize there is a limit to how far we should go in attempting to dictate the way in which adult citizens lead their lives. We need to respect the autonomy that people have in their private lives, their rights as citizens to live their lives in the way they see fit without unnecessary disturbance by the state. But this does not mean that governments can ignore family policy.”
Minister of Human Development, Women, Children, and Civil Society, Dolores Balderamos Garcia, says a new way of dealing with family conflicts, called, Alternative Dispute Resolution, is also under discussion.
Dolores Balderamos Garcia, Min. of Human Dev.
“Many times on the break-up of the marriage one person or the other, the one who can fight more, or the one who has more money to go and get a lawyer, will end up with more, and that cannot be fair and it does not enhance the development of the society and the protection of children. So rather than have the adversarial approach of going before the judge and fighting, and lawyers giving statements et cetera, it is an attempt of the law now to sit down and mediate, and find areas of commonality and areas where you can work out differences without having to fight in a knockdown, drag-out situation.”
One of the touchy issues brought up dealing with the family and children is same sex unions. Balderamos Garcia says while Government respects people’s rights, it also believes in tradition.
Dolores Balderamos Garcia
“We have to look at the traditions and the Christian society that we have in Belize. And I, speaking only for myself, would find that it would difficult right now to bring any such legislation forward. I would think that we would tend in Belize to take a very traditional approach, but that is not to deny persons rights. However, I think that the area of children is important, and I believe that once children are properly cared for, you could have an aunt, a granny, you could have persons living together, but once it is an enhancing environment then I would think that it wouldn’t be the business of government to get into people’s private lives and that kind of thing. But of course I am not making any endorsement at this point and I can only speak for myself.”
The recommendations of today’s session will be used by the National Committee for Families and Children to seek reform where necessary. Marion Ali for News 5.
Studies undertaken over the last decade indicate that the breakdown of the family unit is believed to be one of the major causes of crime in Belize.
