In the fight against crime, every bit helps. A new organization was launched today that intends to help find solutions to tackle the rampant crime. It’s the Belize Institute of Public Safety and Security and its board is made up of retired professionals who have decades of service in security issues. They include former Commissioner […]
To make a cohesive plan will take the concerted effort and planning from the Ministries of Human Development, Health, Education and non-governmental organizations. Criminal activities, including murders, have been carried out by the hands of youths. Perhaps that is why Judith Alpuche, C.E.O., Ministry of Human Development, Social Transformation and Poverty Alleviation says that joint […]
Earlier in the week, Representatives of the World Bank had the opportunity to support the government via a technical workshop where the policy and planning units of the Ministry of Health, Education, and Human Development came together along with technical staff from NGO’s, civil staff, organizations to reach a common understanding of what social protection […]
The five areas that the Ministry of National Security intends to be demarcated as Crime Ridden will not be confirmed until Thursday when it is expected that the initiative will go through its final procedural stage of being gazetted. But at the Business Forum on November first, Prime Minister Dean Barrow also hinted that there […]
Representatives from the World Bank are in the country working with the Ministry of Human Development and other related institutions such as the Ministry of Education to improve and enhance policies that improve social conditions across the population. Vulnerable age groups were a consistent topic of the discussion the group held with the media on […]
Government has spent five point two million dollars on a BOOST program as part of its pro-poor policies. Another two point five million was spent on a food pantry program in the Belize and Cayo Districts. But is there value for the millions spent? That is what a team from the World Bank has been […]
The Ministry of National Security and the Steering Committee of the Peninsula 2020 Initiative which includes the Placencia and Seine Bight Village Councils, the Placencia B.T.I.A., and a host of related organizations, signed a memorandum of understanding earlier today. The M.O.U. was designed to curb crime in the Peninsula. It’s a proactive initiative since a […]
Crime was the second focus of today’s press conference and the keynote was delivered by Party Chairman, Henry Charles Usher. Usher did not mince words for the Ministry of National Security, which he believes is failing the country. Instead of providing solutions, Usher lambasted the Minister of National Security for touring the police stations. […]
There was a total shutdown today of the business community in San Ignacio. By any measure, it was a monumental success and after Wednesday night’s disastrous public meeting with the attorney general, residents came out in full force to support the anti-crime demonstration. They were joined by UB, Galen and Sacred Heart students. The community’s […]
Heading west, a business shutdown is being planned for Thursday by a coalition of neighborhood watch groups called the Solidarity for Peace Movement. If all goes according to plan, most of the business community will be closed for the day to protest the wave of crime and the recent murder of Suzenne Martinez. Simultaneously, two […]
Early this morning a crowd started to assemble at Columbus Park in San Ignacio. The numbers quickly began to swell as the residents of the twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena came out to demonstrate against crime. Earlier this year in June, young Jasmine Lowe was murdered and last week, another resident was […]
The merits of the Council and the ethics of the driver license suspension will surely be discussed in all outlets of the media. But fairness and a healthy balance is always a concern when presenting similar issues. And that is why three consultants from the UK are in Belize to promote international standards in reporting […]
A relentless media campaign, launched recently to raise public awareness on the debatable content of the Peace Corps Health and Family Life Manual, has prompted the Ministry of Education to withdraw the publication from primary schools across the country. The handbook, which was first introduced to pastors Luis Wade and Scott Stirm in December 2011, […]
Midnight Basketball started in the 1990’s. Not many social activities were taking place, so the concept was designed to keep young people socially active amongst various neighborhoods. And in this crime ridden era, when neighbors are now referred to as associates and neighborhoods called rivals, Restore Belize felt it was time to reintroduce the concept […]
A small piece of PVC pipe in what is known as the Jungle in Pickstock is causing an uproar. For twenty-eight struggling families, mostly unemployed, it makes a huge difference in their daily lives. The pipe has been disconnected and it is taking a toll on families who have been left without potable water. It […]
Countries across the globe celebrated International Youth Day on August twelfth, but in Belize the festivities had to be postponed due to the threat of Hurricane Ernesto. While today’s weather was still not optimal, the Youth for the Future Secretariat called out the young people to the MCC Grounds to have their day in the […]
The super bond may be on the mind of those who are interested in the economy, but human bondage, the type that enslaves and ties the minds of our youths with hand guns, is a grave concern for the rest of the country. And in Belize City, areas like La Croix Boulevard in the Lake […]
The spate of heinous attacks on young children, particularly the murder of Jasmine Lowe, has sparked a national movement to address the issue of the kidnappings and abductions of children. This morning, the system, Jasmine Alert, was launched. It involves the mobilization of stakeholders to get the message of a missing child into the public […]
The President of United Belize Advocacy Movement (UNIBAM), Caleb Orosco, is taking the government to court, challenging Section Fifty-Three of the criminal code on the grounds that it criminalizes homosexuality. This morning the organization held a meeting at the Radisson to dialogue with various human rights agencies. It discussed a myriad of issues including sexual […]
The decriminalization of the possession of up to ten grams of marijuana is being hotly debated and it appears that the government initiative is getting support from many quarters. Current legislation considers marijuana possession of less than sixty grams a criminal offense punishable by a fine up to fifty thousand dollars and as many as […]
The world’s largest AIDS conference opens in Washington in the next few days. Around the world, more than thirty-four million persons are affected with the AIDS virus. But the good news is that new infections and deaths went down slightly last year. In Belize, the numbers have been going down in the past three years […]
As a part of a regional initiative to strengthen intelligence and assist the capacity of member states, a high level meeting, only the second if its kind to be held in the Caribbean, took place this morning in Belmopan. Earlier this week, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, partnered with the Ministry of […]
The increase in crime and violence has spilled from the streets to many homes across the old capital as well as in Cayo. The situation has overwhelmed and exhausted most allocated resources since conflict is normally solved at the barrel of a gun. One of the programs formed just two years ago as a crime […]
A regional workshop on Serious Organized Crime Threat Assessments began on Monday in Belmopan. It has the participation of sixteen persons from Police, the Belize Defence Force, Immigration and Customs Departments as well as invited participants from Trinidad and Tobago. The training, which is being provided by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, […]
Trafficking in persons is considered a crime that often goes under the radar, but its presence in Belize has not been overlooked. Earlier this year, the country’s first human trafficking convictions were recorded when two Cayo women were found guilty in separate cases for recruiting teenage girls to become prostitutes. The Anti-trafficking in Persons (ATIPS) […]
