ABA ROLI to combat transnational crimes including human trafficking

Michael Mccullogh

Human trafficking and corruption are common issues confronting the jewel. Earlier today the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative, known as (ABA ROLI), launched an initiative to combat transnational crime. The organization is grounded in the belief that rule of law promotion is the most effective long term antidote to the most pressing problems facing the world today, including poverty, conflict, endemic corruption and disregard for human rights.  ROLI’s Director for Latin America and the Caribbean joined Country Director Antoinette Moore at a special ceremony to push the initiative forward.

Michael McCullogh, Dir., Latin America Division of ABA ROLI

“Thematically we work to promote the rule of law which covers a fairly broad array of activities which include: promotion of access to justice and human rights, combating corruption and promoting public integrity, conducting criminal law reform and combating human trafficking, supporting judicial reform, supporting legal education reform and civic education reform. We are also supporting the country’s review and reform of its criminal procedure code and we are providing training in specialized areas to police and investigators in issues as trafficking persons, money laundering and other specialized crimes.”

Antoinette Moore, Country Director, ABA ROLI

antoinette Moore

“ROLI’s work here in Belize is aimed specifically at combating transnational crime. Transnational crime includes: drug trafficking, human trafficking or as we have call it on the news recently, human smuggling and it also includes money laundering. Belizean society and our people have become increasingly familiar with these offences in the last decade and also we have become increasingly frustrated at the frequencies and the apparent ease with which these crimes are committed without detection and often without punishment. The offenders of these transnational crimes are working across international borders. They often have many more resources at their disposal than do our law enforcement agencies in the smaller developing countries that they work with. The criminal justice system is working against great odds to hold back the rising wave of crime that threatens and touches us all in Belize. The rule of law initiative efforts in Belize will contribute hopefully to the justice sectors ongoing work of investigating, prosecuting and trying these accused persons. On a larger scale ROLI hopes to contribute to Belize’s delivery of justice.”

Moore says that the first goal of Roli is to establish a working group with members of the justice sector in the near future so that the Roli program can be fully implemented in Belize.