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On Monday, a vote at the United Nations General Assembly cleared the way for the appointment of an independent expert, Thailand’s Vi-tit Mun-ta-bhorn, on sexual orientation and gender identity issues. Belize’s representatives at the U.N. had twice previously voted in favour of appointing the expert, but on Monday, a vote was initially and erroneously cast […]
According to Stirm, the U.N.’s endorsement continues and possibly accelerates the slippery slide of humanity toward accepting abnormal and harmful behaviour. He also contends that it harms the freedoms guaranteed under the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights formed in the aftermath of the Jewish Holocaust and the Second World War. To defeat this, he […]
The Church State Commission, first described as a “morality commission,” was announced in the aftermath of August’s Section Fifty-Three decision. Chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber, it was set up to address heavy issues under public morality, as well as to improve on the relationship between government and the churches. Key items on the […]
Written on December 22, 2016 | Posted in
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Eighty children from the least privileged areas of Eastern Division North got a Christmas treat from their friendly neighborhood cops based at Queen Street. With Ozzie the Clown as guest, all they could eat and drink, and a toy to take home, a good time was had by all this afternoon at the North side […]
Written on December 19, 2016 | Posted in
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The death of Janeeka Campbell has prompted reaction from the National Committee for Families and Children. The NCFC says it joins the nation in mourning the tragic loss of another innocent Belizean child due to questionable circumstances. The release says, “It is our collective responsibility to ensure that parents have all the support they need […]
Written on December 8, 2016 | Posted in
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The unending spate of crime and violence which continues to grip the streets of the Old Capital has given rise to a social movement where friends and families of countless victims are demanding a ceasefire. They are doing so by taking to those very streets en masse. We’ve seen a galvanization of Belizeans in the […]
Written on December 8, 2016 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Peace Begins With Me, Declares City Residents
The BOOST Program through which needy families receive a conditional cash transfer from government has been cited as a success in the region. This is according to the Caribbean Human Development Report 2016 which was released today by the U.N. But that is this data is well before Belize plunged into a recession. News Five’s […]
Written on December 5, 2016 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Caribbean Human Development Report Launched
This week is disability awareness week. It is being observed from the twenty seventh of November to the third of December. The week includes the United Nations sanctioned international day of people with disability held each year on December third. The week is used to educate people regarding disabilities and giving people the knowledge required to […]
Written on November 29, 2016 | Posted in
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UNICEF assists countries to collect and analyze data to fill gaps in the monitoring of the situation of children and women through its international household survey called the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey or commonly known as MICS. Every five years, it undertakes the survey in over five thousand households across Belize and then the data […]
Written on November 29, 2016 | Posted in
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On Tuesday night, the U.S. Embassy held a candlelight ceremony as part of their activities to observe the Sixteen Days of Activism: unmasking the many faces of gender-based violence. The sixteen days kick off on Friday, November twenty-fifth and ends on December tenth. During that period, the Embassy and local partners, including the Women’s Department, […]
Written on November 23, 2016 | Posted in
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In the past month and a half, we’ve reported on four children murdered in Belize City. Three children, eleven year old Aaron Gabourel, six year old Empress Hamilton and four year old Ian Sambula, were all killed in an arson on Aloe Vera Street. The most recent and tragic murder is that of seven year […]
Gender based violence is a major public health issue and one of the most widespread violations of human rights, but cases are highly unreported and victims continue to suffer in silence. A forum today provided a platform for eight students from four high schools in Belize City to report on their research and experiences with […]
Written on November 21, 2016 | Posted in
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Hundreds of residents—youths and adults—including the grieving mothers from the Hamilton family and other concerned Belize City residents, gathered at the B.T.L. Park for a candle light vigil organized by Shakera Young, the mother of another slain child, Tyler Savery. The seven-year-old student at Saint Joseph Primary School was murdered in cold blood exactly one […]
Written on November 18, 2016 | Posted in
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Hissing and making lewd remarks to women is considered a form of violence and in some cases these actions escalate to attacks. Well today, a group of students—particularly females from the University of Belize, Belize City Campus—along with their Counselor Renee Wentz organized an anti-street harassment initiative. Just before midday, they paraded from the Social […]
According to Wentz, the initiative is to empower women, who are victims of street harassment. She says that the students are learning how to respond—keeping themselves safe while getting men to recognize that the harassment is a form of violence. Renee Wentz, Counselor, University of Belize “It’s not funny; it is a form a […]
The murder of seven-year-old Tyler Savery and his twenty-one-year-old cousin, Porshan Pipersburgh, has broken many Belizean hearts. A simple outing to get a milkshake at a neighbourhood establishment on Friday evening ended in senseless death by drive-by. On Monday, you saw the plea made by Tyler’s mother. Today, she was joined by the Leader of […]
Written on November 15, 2016 | Posted in
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According to Savery’s mother, a celebration of his life will be held on Wednesday. In an extended interview with the media, Shakera Young is appealing to the community to stand up in solidarity and bring an end to the violence. Shakera Young, Mother of Tyler Savery “What I am appealing to you mothers out […]
According to the UNFPA, what the world looks like in fifteen years will depend on what we do today to help a ten-year-old girl realize her potential. In its 2016 report, the UNFPA notes that more than half of the world’s ten-year-old girls live in countries with high levels of gender inequality. This means that […]
Written on November 11, 2016 | Posted in
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Comments Off on The World’s Population and Gender Equality Discussed in Report
The council of management of the Belize National Teachers Union is meeting on Saturday to discuss the way forward in light of recent developments in the education sector. Earlier this week, the Ministry of Education announced that it was bypassing B.N.T.U. and going directly to the Managing Authorities to discuss the issue of makeup time […]
Written on November 4, 2016 | Posted in
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The strike fund and its intended use are also at the center of the ongoing controversy. According to B.N.T.U. President Luke Palacio, the Minister of Education quotes liberally from a convention in the north where a decision was met to revise the purpose of the strike fund. Palacio says that Faber is pretending that he […]
Written on November 4, 2016 | Posted in
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The late Zebedee “Sonny” Pitterson felt the call to minister to members of his community. In addition to his popular bakery, Sunnyside on Racecourse Street, in 1994 he opened the “Feed My Sheep Kitchen” on East Collet Canal. He fed hundreds of children and lesser-privileged persons for over twenty years until his passing in 2014. […]
Written on November 1, 2016 | Posted in
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Perhaps the most controversial representative of the social partners, Pastor Ashley Rocke, whose position on two occasions has angered the churches, declined chairmanship of the Senate Select Committee for fear of his personal well being and that of his family. According to the clergyman, he has received numerous threats in the wake of his contentious […]
Written on October 12, 2016 | Posted in
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The strike called by the Belize National Teachers’ Union will go into its eighth day on Thursday. But whether it continues after that will depend on a key meeting between the Union’s Council of Management and Prime Minister Dean Barrow. This evening the Government Press Office issued a short statement confirming that the B.N.T.U. has […]
Written on October 12, 2016 | Posted in
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While the Belize National Teachers’ Union will be meeting with the Prime Minister on Thursday, a press release issued today announces that, as confirmed by police, members and supporters of the United Democratic Party will be picketing outside the B.N.T.U. headquarters between eight-thirty in the morning and twelve-thirty in the afternoon. While the Union is […]
Written on October 12, 2016 | Posted in
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After an early morning meeting at their headquarters, about one hundred members of the Belize District Branch of the Belize National Teachers’ Union headed out on foot into Southside Belize City. They were out to continue their public education and awareness campaign, on this, the seventh day of industrial action which commenced last Monday. There […]
Written on October 12, 2016 | Posted in
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