Cabinet agrees to curfew

At the Cabinet meeting yesterday the Ministry of Economic Development made conditional approval for a paper company to operate in Belize. Caribbean Paper Company will manufacture a variety of paper products for the domestic market with the employment of nine people in its first year. The company has yet to meet certain criteria of the Department of Environment in order to make the agreement final. In the wake of recent crimes against young people Cabinet discussed new incentives to make children less vulnerable to potential predators. The Ministry of National Security says it will implement plans for a curfew so that children under sixteen cannot be on the streets after hours. This will primarily begin in Belize City and Dangriga. The Ministry of Education will also be sending school wardens to primary schools during school hours to provide much needed extra security for students. Cabinet also agreed that students soliciting funds for school activities on the streets can be dangerous and the Ministry of Education will ask primary school principals to discourage this practice. As an extra precaution, public vehicles and taxicabs will also be prohibited from using tinted windows. Similar recommendations for combating the problem were made by young people themselves at the Children’s Summit last Saturday in Belize City. It was attended by several members of the Cabinet and the Prime Minister Said Musa.