Domestic violence statistics released

Cases of Domestic Violence often go unreported and in instances when they are, they are often withdrawn. But there are statistics available on the number that actually made it to the police for the first half of the year. According to the Ministry of Health, between the months of January and June, a total of six hundred and four cases have been reported. With three hundred and fifteen, the Belize District had more than half the reported cases countrywide. There was a large margin between that figure and the second highest number of reports, one hundred and sixteen, which came from the Corozal District. The least amount of cases came from down south, with only eleven reports from the Toledo District. While it’s no surprise that the victim in the majority of the abuse incidents were females, who make up a whopping four hundred and eighty-five reports, there were are also one hundred and eighteen cases of male victims and one person who did not give specific details. The report also shows that over three hundred of the female victims were abused by their significant other; whether it is a husband, boyfriend or common-law. Forty-five men found themselves in similar situations. The abusive situations were not limited to relationships and the report shows that in forty-eight cases, the mothers were the abusers.