BELIZE
Initial and second
periodic reports dated 1 November 1996 (CEDAW/C/BLZ/1-2)
Belize is often
advertised as a "diverse, peaceful, English-speaking democracy"
with "the best diving in the world, dramatic Mayan ruins looming
out of untouched jungle, and restaurants that serve fried chinchilla."1
In recent years, the unspoiled and abundant fauna and flora
of this tiny country on the crossroads between Latin America
and the Caribbean has become a favorite eco-tourist destination.
But anthropologist Irma McClaurin points out there is another
"ugly" Belize, marked by underdevelopment, with its reliance
on imports from industrialized countries, inadequate technology
and health care, and high unemployment.
With a population
of 200,000, Belize is the least populated nation in the Caribbean.
Despite its size, however, the country's inhabitants represent
a wide variety of ethnicities and cultures. The country's main
ethnic groups are the Creoles, Garifuna (or Garinagu), Mestizo,
Hispanic, Maya and English. English is the official language
but Creole, Spanish, Garifuna and Mayan languages are widely
spoken throughout the country. The majority of Belize's population
is Roman Catholic, but British influence has resulted in sizeable
and varied groups of Protestants, including German Swiss Mennonites.
The Mayan practice of Catholicism fuses shamanist-animist and
Christian rituals.
Government
Belize (formerly
British Honduras) gained independence from Great Britain on
21 September 1981, but it has practiced self-government since
1964. Although the country retains its membership in the Commonwealth
of Nations and the Queen of England appoints the governor general,
political allegiance to Great Britain is largely ceremonial.
The country boasts
a history free of coups de etat and has remained relatively
untouched by ethnic strife. Belize is governed by a cabinet
with a powerful prime minister who has executive power. The
country also has a bicameral legislature (the National Assembly),
and an independent judiciary. The People's United Party (PUP),
one of the two main political parties, won by an unprecedented
margin (twenty-six out of twenty -nine parliamentary seats)
in the country's August 1998 general elections. The new prime
minister, Said Musa, won on the campaign promise to develop
and implement an aggressive series of economic and political
reforms designed to improve the economy, increase government
accountability and encourage local self-government.2
Two-Party System
Despite the existence
of various political groups, two parties, the People's United
Party (PUP) and the United Democratic Party (UDP), have dominated
politics in Belize and have alternated heading the government
since the 1980s. As in the rest of the region, political loyalties
are personalized and allegiances to either party are often family
or friend-based. In reality, there are only slight ideological
differences between the two parties. Both have included and
appealed to all classes and sectors of society. Although the
UDP is more outspokenly anti-Communist and supportive of the
United States, both parties support the capitalist system with
its reliance on private enterprise and foreign investment. According
to one commentator, PUP and UDP share the conviction that the
role of the parties is to contain "conflict of class interest."3
However, typically when in opposition, the parties tend to identify
more with the working class and the poor, and while in office,
they become more conservative.4
Economy
Agroexports (sugar,
bananas, citrus fruit) are the mainstay of the economy, contributing
thirty percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Fifty percent
of the country's workforce works in agriculture and fishing,
although just two percent of the arable land is used for agriculture.5
Tourism, with a heavy emphasis on eco-tourism, is an increasingly
important source of income. Possessing the second largest barrier
reef in the world after Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the
country's profits from tourism constitute twenty percent of
the GDP and bring in the largest earnings of foreign exchange.6
Roughly eighty percent
of Belize's exports are traded under preferential agreements
with industrialized countries.7
The country's main trading partners are the United States and
the European Union. Many analysts fear that the application
of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), will eventually
undermine Belize's trade relationship with the US in favor of
hemispheric free trade, but this has so far not been a major
threat.8 Along with its
neighbors, Belize has requested that preferential trade policies
under NAFTA be expanded to include the Caribbean region. Caribbean
nations are required to enter into any such agreement as a bloc,
so several countries in the region have been liberalizing regional
trade policies for the past year.9
Belize also takes advantage of preferential trade rights stemming
from its membership in the Caribbean Community (Caricom) and
other regional trade organizations.
Belize has taken
steps to attract foreign investment while minimizing environmental
exploitation, which it recognizes as crucial to continue attracting
eco-tourists. In the 1980s, the government took a series of
initiatives (passing the National Park System Act and the Wildlife
Protection Ordinance) to provide legal protection for the environment
and create new parks and reserves. According to Musa, the government
discourages extractive and wasteful industries such as exporting
timber, instead promoting the clothing, furniture, shrimp farming,
boats and batteries industries.10
Hurricane Mitch,
which devastated the Central American region in November 1998,
left Belize largely intact. The country's Barrier Reef helped
to break walls of water, and the storm circled almost completely
around Belize, striking Honduras, southern Guatemala and Mexico's
Yucatan Peninsula. Government officials estimate that just two
percent of the nation's 90,000 square miles were damaged by
the hurricane.11
Labor and Unions
The official unemployment
rate stands at 12.9 percent,12
but unofficial estimates put it as high as thirty-five percent.13
Unemployment is twice as high for women as it is for men (fifteen
percent compared to seven percent). At twenty percent, women
in rural areas have the highest unemployment figures. Ironically,
while urban unemployment rates keep getting worse, the agricultural
sector experiences labor shortages. Prime Minister Musa has
vowed to create 15,000 new jobs by 2001.14
Only eleven percent
of the workforce is unionized in one of the country's eleven
independent unions. With the exception of teachers, as well
as the agricultural and the public sectors, unions are weak
and strikes are uncommon. Although workers may freely join unions,
they face numerous obstacles if they decide to do so.15
In many cases, workers'
attempts to form trade unions are obstructed by employers. In
a 1997 report, the International Confederation of Free Trade
Unions (ICFTU) singled out the banana industry as having the
worst record of workers' rights violations. According to the
report, employers in the banana industry, particularly in the
Stann Creek area, represented by the Banana Growers Association,
have blocked workers' attempts to form unions since the 1980s.
Workers who are already members of unions or who try to join
them face harassment from the police.16
Further inhibiting workers' rights, the Constitution does not
require employers to recognize unions as bargaining entities.17
Human rights monitors accuse employers of blocking union organization
by firing key union sympathizers, usually on grounds ostensibly
unrelated to union activities. Although a worker may file a
complaint with the Labor Department for redress, it is virtually
impossible to prove that the termination was due to union activity.18
Health Care
The government provides
free universal health care to Belizeans and officially states
that good public health is essential to improving socio-economic
conditions. 19 According
to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), eighty-eight
percent of the population has access to services through the
state network, which includes seven hospitals, rural clinics
and mobile clinics.20
The common complaint is that the state-run system provides only
primary and very basic care. Moreover, the quality of these
services varies considerably.21
Human Rights
Although less serious
in number and gravity that in other Central American countries,
human rights abuses do occur in Belize. The areas of concern
include the lack of labor protection, police brutality, poor
prison conditions, discrimination against immigrants and violations
of women's human rights.22
The situation has improved somewhat since the founding of the
Human Rights Commission of Belize (HRCB) in 1987. Unlike human
rights activists in other countries of the isthmus, the HRCB
and other groups in Belize have broadened the concept of human
rights to include demands for respect of basic economic
and social rights.
The HRCB links crime and drug problems to younger people's lack
of access to education and employment. The HRCB has also actively
promoted children's rights.23
Freedom of Speech
and Media
Although the Constitution
contains provisions protecting freedom of speech and of the
press, it also allows the government to make "reasonable provisions"
in the interests of defense, public safety, public order, public
morality or public health. These provisions include prohibiting
citizens from questioning the validity of public officials'
financial disclosure statements. Those who question these statements
orally or in writing outside a rigid documenting system face
a fine of up to $5,000, three years' imprisonment, or both.24
The government recently
privatized the state-owned Broadcasting Corporation of Belize.
The government indicated that the sale would save approximately
2.5 million Belize dollars (US $1.25 million), which would be
reallocated to education and health programs.25
However, many Belizeans criticize government leaders- who won
the elections on a promise of creating jobs-for the loss of
jobs resulting from the sale.26
Although a wide
variety of interests and opinions are generally represented
in the press (usually without government interference), there
are some exceptions. In 1998, the Minister of Broadcasting threatened
to discontinue the license of one radio station, on the pretext
that the station violated the public morality provision of the
Constitution. Some media reports indicate that the threat was
politically motivated, because the owner of the station was
a member of an opposition party.27
Immigration and
Emigration
As a result of civil
wars, repression and economic difficulties in some Latin American
countries, Belize has received over 40,000 immigrants and refugees
in the past twenty years, mainly from El Salvador and Guatemala.
Despite traditions of ethnic diversity, intermarriages and cultural
tolerance, the country's "melting-pot" ideals have increasingly
become more theoretical than real.
Hispanic migrants
are a particular source of tension in Belize. Twenty years ago
Hispanics were considered a negligible minority, but they recently
replaced Creoles as the country's largest ethnic group.28
Many migrated to Belize seeking better employment and living
conditions.29 Spanish
speaking immigrants throughout the country report to human rights
groups serious discrimination, including inequitable hiring
practices and disparities in enforcement of the law. According
to one Salvadoran farmer, "There is a lot of racism here. .
. We have to work for ourselves, because the Belizeans don't
like us and they don't give us work."30
Immigrants have
been subjected to ill-treatment by the police, mass deportations,
alleged torture and employment discrimination.31
The government has been criticized by the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for its unwritten policy requiring
refugees to live in Belize for ten years before applying for
citizenship. In contrast, nonrefugee residents are required
to live in the country for just only years before becoming eligible
to apply.32
At the same time,
since World War II, native Belizeans (primarily Creoles) have
been emigrating to the United States in search of better employment
and education opportunities. During the 1980s women constituted
the majority of Northbound emigrants. 33
As a result, Belize today is a very young country; half of the
population is under eighteen years old, and it is not uncommon
for grandparents to bring up children.34
STATUS OF WOMEN
IN BELIZE UNDER SPECIFIC CEDAW ARTICLES:
The following section
on the status of women under specific CEDAW articles was compiled
based on interviews with Lisa Shoman, attorney, head of the
Belize Bar Association and human rights activist, as well as
reports prepared by the Human Rights Commission of Belize (HRCB)
in September 1997.
CONVENTION ARTICLE
2 - MEASURES TO ELIMINATE DISCRIMINATION
The Belize government
report (CEDAW/C/BLZ/1-2), dated 1 November 1996, states that
it has set up a machinery within the government that is responsible
for the advancement of women. Lisa Shoman, attorney and head
of the Belize Bar Association, told IWRAW in an interview 29
September 1997 that the Department of Women's Affairs can have
only a limited impact primarily because of serious underfunding
(according to the government's own report to CEDAW, it receives
only 0.10 percent of the budget). According to Shoman, the government-sponsored
National Women's Commission "does not have any clout." Several
sources have emphasised the "lack of political will" in the
government to advance the status of women as the main obstacle
to change.35
CONVENTION ARTICLE
3 - BASIC RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS
Jails
According to a 1991
report prepared by the Human Rights Commission of Belize (HRCB),
the Belize City Prison is notoriously overcrowded. Given police
inefficiency in assembling evidence, it is common for prisoners
to await trial for several months. While they wait, they sleep
on cardboard sheets on cement floors, with open windows, no
toilets and no medical care. Although these conditions affect
both male and female prisoners, the HRCB report emphasises that
female prisoners find themselves in a particularly difficult
situation. Since no educational or training programs are offered,
they often remain locked and idle for most of their prison stay.36
CONVENTION ARTICLE
4 - TEMPORARY SPECIAL MEASURES
The government's
report to CEDAW acknowledges that although women constitute
over half of secondary school students and achieve higher scores
on standardized tests and have higher graduation rates than
male students, they remain seriously underrepresented in skilled
and professional positions. The government's report states that
"the government has not considered the potential need for affirmative
action provisions" for women. Sources emphasized the importance
of equal opportunities for women in employment for their advancement
in society. As one activist, Jewel Patton-Quallo, put it: "
the bottom line is economics. Women not being independent so
that they can stand on their own is a big problem."37
CONVENTION ARTICLE
5 - SEX ROLES AND STEREOTYPING
Anthropologist Irma
McClaurin, who conducted extensive research in Belize for her
book Women in Belize, reported that women's value in Belize
comes primarily from their roles as wives and mothers. Their
assigned role in society is "reproduction and social reproduction,"
and they are judged based on how they fulfil these roles.38
The government report
acknowledges that the "pattern of unequal relations between
women and men is consistently found throughout the country."
Yet the government has taken few concrete steps to promote women
through programs and campaigns targeted at changing gender stereotypes.
Lisa Shoman said that any classes sponsored and organized for
women are to teach them cooking, sewing and other traditionally
female tasks.39
CONVENTION ARTICLE
6 - PROSTITUTION AND TRAFFICKING IN WOMEN
The British military
presence along the border with Guatemala, growth of the tourist
industry, mass labor migration and increasing unemployment rates
have led to the development and expansion of the prostitution
industry in Belize. There is no legislation that specifically
prohibits prostitution or the exploitation of prostitutes. According
to one recent report, one or more "dance hall owners" have recruited
women from neighboring countries by promising them jobs as dancers,
waitresses or housekeeping. When they arrive in the country,
often illegally, the employer takes their passports, forces
them to engage in prostitution and holds their wages. Despite
police investigations, no arrests have been made.40
Although the government
recognizes the need to promote improved health standards for
sex workers, the incidence of HIV/AIDS continues to increase
at an alarming rate, and Belize has the second highest HIV/AIDS
rate in Central America.41
Moreover, existing laws do not indicate a serious commitment
to suppressing the trafficking and exploitation of women. There
is no legislation specifically prohibiting trafficking or the
exploitation of prostitutes.42
Existing laws define prostitution as a "petty crime," and exclusively
penalize sex workers, not their clients.
CONVENTION ARTICLES
7 AND 8 - POLITICAL AND PUBLIC LIFE
Women in the Government
Very few Belizean
women hold decision-making positions in the government, although
women's representation in political leadership positions is
increasing slightly. Between 1975-1993 there were only three
women in the government as heads of departments. In 1998, six
out of twelve magistrates were women. As of November 1998, women
held four seats in the thirty-eight-member parliament (10.53
percent), a cabinet of sixteen included one woman (6.25 percent),
and ten women (out of fifty-eight) served in local government
(17.24 percent).43
Political Parties
Political parties
do not encourage women's participation and do little to support
their advancement in party ranks. As members of political parties,
women are relegated to roles of organizers, vote-getters and
food providers. Kathy Esquivel, founder of the National Women's
Commission, told anthropologist Irma McClaurin that the notion
of women as subordinates is deeply embedded in the culture,
and it often prevents women from trying to become successfully
involved in the political arena. According to Esquivel, women
also face resistance when trying to follow their own style in
politics. When their style is compared to the dominant male
style, which is highly individualistic and adversarial, women
are often viewed as ineffective.44
NGOs
The UN Decade for
Women (1976-1985) gave impetus to women organizing in Belize.
Unlike in the past, when women's groups were linked to the church
and did charitable work, the 1980s saw increased organizing
around women's issues. Women who have not been able to pursue
their interests through mainstream political parties and the
government have formed non-governmental organizations focusing
on various areas of special concern. The Belize Organization
for Women and Development (BOWAND), organized in 1979, works
to improve the socioeconomic conditions of urban and rural women.
In 1992, BOWAND launched a minimum wage campaign on behalf of
domestic workers. The Belize Rural Women's Association (BRWA)
based in Belmopan was founded in 1985. Belize Against Violence
(WAV) worked to raise awareness of rape and battering and sponsored
a series of legislative measures relating to violence against
women. In recent years, NGOs have struggled because of inadequate
funding, and while BOWAND and several others are still in existence,
BRWA and WAV are no longer active.
CONVENTION ARTICLE
10 - EDUCATION
Research conducted
by Belizean NGOs indicates that teenage pregnancy accounts for
a large number of high school dropouts. The government's report
states that majority of secondary schools expel pregnant students,
and it is not uncommon for women to be prevented from continuing
their education. Despite this acknowledgement, the government
has not taken any decisive measures to stop this practice, and
there is no support system to enable women to resume their education
following childbirth, such as childcare and financial support.
NGOs have also campaigned
against gender stereotyping in Belizean schoolbooks, which emphasize
traditional gender roles.
CONVENTION ARTICLE
11 - EMPLOYMENT
The government's
report states that "gender bias continues to be a glaring feature
of the labor market."45
Despite constitutional provisions on equal pay for equal work,
women consistently receive less pay than men for the same work
and occupy lower level positions even in occupations where they
predominate. For instance, even though over seventy percent
of primary school teachers are female, only forty-five percent
of principals are female. The majority of women in Belize are
concentrated in traditionally female, low status and poorly
paid occupations such as manufacturing, tourism, and domestic
work. The Belizean Labor Act, which regulates working conditions,
does not extend to several traditionally female occupations
such as shop assisting and domestic work.
Women who have tried
to form unions to protest working conditions have met with a
complete lack of support from the government and with outright
repression. For instance, the Women Workers Union (WWU) formed
in 1991 to protest degrading working conditions in the Civic
Textile Company (a Taiwanese garment company)46
and low salaries in export-processing zones (EPZs) in Belize.47
The company fired the union leaders and most local members who
went on strike, and WWU eventually fell apart. The Belize government
went on to grant the company an exemption from the country's
Labor Act.48
Discriminatory employment
practices in Belize have contributed to the growing correlation
between gender and poverty. The Caribbean region has recorded
the highest proportion of female-headed households in the world
(34.6 percent) and Belize particularly has recorded a high incidence
of poverty in such households. The International Labor Organization
(ILO) reported that of those who were out of a job for more
than twelve months, two-thirds were women.49
Women also find it more difficult than men to obtain business
and agricultural financing.50
Another important factor inhibiting women's opportunities to
work is the scarcity of childcare services both in rural and
urban areas. The government does not support or subsidize childcare.
Women Workers
The International
Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) reports that women
(mostly immigrants from other Central American countries) employed
in the banana industry work in hazardous and degrading conditions.
ICFTU also reported that women are "regularly subjected to sexual
harassment" by the security guards.51
According to the ICFTU report, the government allies itself
with employers and has done nothing to enforce the employment
law and investigate and prosecute violators.
CONVENTION ARTICLE
12 - HEALTH CARE AND FAMILY PLANNING
Although Belize
provides health services to its citizens, many women, especially
in rural areas, do not receive adequate care. According to the
1995 report by the Pan American Heath Organization (PAHO), more
than forty percent of women seen at prenatal clinics are anemic.
Women from the Garífuna and Ketchi Maya ethnic groups showed
serious iron and vitamin A deficiencies.52
Family Planning
Abortion is a criminal
offense punishable by imprisonment for fourteen years.53
However, abortion is available from lay practitioners. PAHO
and the World Health Organization (WHO) ranked illegal abortion
as the number one cause of death among women in Belize.54
The high incidence of cervical cancer and infertility among
Belizean women has been linked to the high rates of illegal
abortions.
In 1988, nearly
seventy percent of all children were born to single mothers,
and the trend has been increasing. In 1985, UNICEF reported
that Belize had one of the highest rates of adolescent pregnancy
in the Central American region, and that one of five births
was a result of an adolescent pregnancy.55
Yet the Catholic Church, which plays a dominant role in the
public education system, has openly opposed any sex education
classes, arguing that these programs would "encourage the young
to use contraceptives" and give them "permission to be sexually
active."56 According to
McClaurin, the task of informing women about contraceptives
and other issues related to their reproductive health has largely
been in the hands of private doctors and nongovernmental organizations.
But according to WHO data, only about ten percent use private
family planning.57
AIDS
Belize has since
1992 ranked second (after Honduras) in Central America in AIDS
incidence.58 According
to a recent report by PAHO, Belize has 138 reported cases of
AIDS,59 but according
to Belize's National AIDS Program (NAP) the number may be as
high as two thousand.60
In recent years,
there has been an increase in AIDS incidence among women. NAP's
director, Dr. Jorge Polanco, has cited sexual exploitation as
one of the causes. Polanco called for policies targeted at the
prevention of the transmission of the disease which would include
education programs for teenagers.61
A study conducted by McClaurin indicates that only two percent
of women who perceive themselves to be at risk use any kind
of preventive measures.
CONVENTION ARTICLE
14 - RURAL WOMEN
Women in rural areas
have the most limited access to government services. Educational
and health services offered in rural zones are inferior to those
offered in urban areas. For instance, the rural Toledo district
has the lowest ratio of qualified primary school teachers. This
situation results in a low educational attainment of rural women.
The mostly rural Mayas have the lowest literacy rate in the
country.
At twenty percent,
rural women also have the highest unemployment rate in the country.
The government's report cites historical reasons for the absence
of women small farmers in the heavily Maya-populated areas of
Corozal, Orange Walk and Toledo and for women's dependence on
male "breadwinners." During the 1996 World Food Summit, Prime
Minister Manuel Esquivel, stated that "Belize wanted to break
the vicious circle of dependency within rural communities" and
"we must develop great entrepreneurship, know-how and self-reliance
at the grassroots levels, creating opportunities for equal participation
by women, youth and the marginalized poor."62
Despite these pronouncements, the government has introduced
no specific program of action aimed at changing the pattern
and stimulating employment of women in rural zones.
GENERAL RECOMMENDATION
# 19 - VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Domestic Violence
Domestic violence
is one of the most serious problems of women in Belize; according
to information provided by Women Against Violence (WAV), ninety
percent of violent crimes against women are perpetrated by their
partner or spouse.63 Violent
crimes against women result in deaths and disfigurements from
mutilations, burnings and beatings.64
This type of violence affects women of all ethnicities and occupational
status.
Despite the known
existence of domestic abuse in Belize, discussion of the problem
continues to be taboo. According to McClaurin, in the Belizean
culture, women are under the "protection" of men and seen as
their subordinates. "Women who speak about matters such as domestic
violence (often viewed as "private" or "family" matter) incur
great personal and emotional risks," McClaurin wrote.65
Belizean writer Zee Edgell, explored the topic of domestic abuse
in her recent novel entitled The Festival of San Joaquin. The
protagonist, who was systematically abused by her partner, expresses
the common attitude of women who are socialized to feel that
they should tolerate abusive behavior: "I believed the words
of God in the Bible. I believed that even thought I was only
a common-law wife, I should obey my common-law husband, as I
would obey God. I believed that the man is the head to which
the woman's body is united, just as Jesus Christ is the head
of the church."66
According to Lisa
Shoman, such attitudes persist and women are still reluctant
to come forward mainly because of the lack of an adequate support
system. Police are not interested in domestic violence cases
and the government does not provide training programs for officers.
When Shoman offered to provide training for the police, she
was turned down. The only shelter for victims of domestic abuse
run by the government in Belize City does not meet the need.67
Rape
Women face serious
legal obstacles even if they decide to prosecute the offender.
Existing statutes allow for the introduction of women's past
sexual activity as rape defense. The law does not protect women
from marital rape.
ACTIONS BY OTHER
HUMAN RIGHTS TREATY BODIES PERTAINING TO WOMEN'S HUMAN RIGHTS
Concluding Observations
of the Committee on the Rights of the Child: Belize. 31/01/99.
CRC/C/15/Add.99.
Summary of Recommendations:
- Undertake studies
on domestic violence, ill-treatment and sexual abuse in order
to adopt effective measures and policies and contribute to
changing traditional attitudes; implement existing proposal
to mandate reporting of child abuse, take measures to ensure
physical and psychological recovery from abuse and prevent
the stigmatization of victims.
- Undertake studies
on play involving mother and child interaction with a view
toward developing programs in this area.
- Take comprehensive
measures to reduce child and infant mortality rate and malnutrition,
particularly in vulnerable and disadvantaged groups.
- Promote adolescent
health policies and strengthen reproductive health education
and counseling services; conduct research on the scope of
adolescent health problems, including the special situation
of children infected with the AIDS virus; allocate resources
to develop child-friendly care and rehabilitation centers
for adolescents.
- Implement measures
to improve the quality of education and encourage children
to stay in school.
- Increase efforts
to promote understanding and implementation of the Covenant
on the Rights of the Child at the local level.
- Review and revise
data collection system to cover all areas of the Convention;
make special effort to collect date on vulnerable groups,
including ethnic minorities, children with disabilities, and
single-parent families.
- Fully integrate
the Convention into society, including training and awareness
campaigns, training of child-care professionals, and school
curricula at all levels of education.
- Review legislation
and bring it into compliance with all articles of the Convention.
- Reform legislation
to ensure that fathers are also responsible for the registration
of their children, and that children born out of wedlock are
guaranteed their right to preservation of identity, name and
family relations.
- Consider implementing
a mobile registration unit to reach families in remote rural
areas.
- Adopt measures
to regularize the registration of immigrant children and provide
them with documentation to guarantee their rights and facilitate
their access to basic health, education and other services.
- Increase efforts
in providing support, including training, for parents, especially
fathers, to discourage the abandonment of children; develop
additional programs to facilitate alternative care, including
foster care, additional training for social and welfare workers,
and establishing an independent complaint mechanism for alternative
care institutions.
Endnotes:
1
Lonely Planet: Destination Belize, available at http://www.lonelyplanet.com/dest/cam/belize.htm,
accessed 30 September 1997. back
2
Economist Intelligence Unit, "Belize: Country Update,"
25 January 1999, Nexis, 28 March 1999. back
3
Assad Shoman, Party Politics in Belize: 1950-1986 (Belize,
Central America: Cubola Productions, 1987), 58-59. back
4
Tom Barry, Inside Belize (Albuquerque, New Mexico: Inter-Hemispheric
Education Resource Center, 1992), 11. back
5
Americas Review World of Information, Belize: Americas
Review 1998, March 1998, Nexis, 27 March 1999. back
6
Don Bohning, "Belize Seeks to Diversify Economy," Miami
Herald, 21 December 1998, Nexis, 30 March 1999. back
7
"Guatemala and Belize: Central America's link to the North
American Market," FT Asia Intelligence Wire, 1 February 1998,
on-line, Nexis, 4 April 1999. back
8
Ibid. back
9
Charles Thurston, "Building Blocs: Central America Forges
Trade Group," Journal of Commerce, 8 June 1998, Nexis, 20 March
1999. back
10
"Guatemala and Belize: Central America's link to the North
American Market," FT Asia Intelligence Wire, 1 February 1998,
Nexis, 4 April 1999. back
11
"Belize Tells Industry Everything's Fine," Information
Access Company, 30 November 1998, Nexis, 23 April 1999.
back
12
"Musa sweeps Esquivel Aside; 'Jobs and Houses' Pledges
Carry Opposition to Victory," Latin America Regional Report:
Caribbean and Central America, 29 September 1998, Nexis, 4 April
1999. back
13
Tom Barry, Inside Belize (Albuquerque, New Mexico: Inter-Hemispheric
Education Resource Center, 1992), 95. back
14
Rhae Cashif, "Belize: New Government Gets Down to Business,"
Global Information Network, 11 September 1998, on-line, Nexis,
4 April 1999. back
15
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 1997
Annual Survey of Violations of Trade Union Rights (Brussels:
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 1997), 39.
back
16
Ibid. back
17
US Department of State, Belize Country Report on Human
Rights Practices for 1998 (Washington, DC: Bureau of Democracy,
Human Rights and Labor), 26 February 1999. back
18
Ibid. back
19
Tom Barry, Inside Belize (Albuquerque, New Mexico: Inter-Hemispheric
Education Resource Center, 1992), 109. back
20
Pan American Health Organization, Country Health Profiles:
Belize, 15 September 1995, available at http://www.paho.org/,
accessed on 3 September 1997. back
21
Tom Barry, Inside Belize (Albuquerque, New Mexico: Inter-Hemispheric
Education Resource Center, 1992), 109. back
22
Ibid, 109 back
23
Ibid, 35. back
24
US Department of State, Belize Country Report on Human
Rights Practices for 1998 (Washington, DC: Bureau of Democracy,
Human Rights and Labor), 26 February 1999. back
25
"Broadcasting Corporation to be Wound up," BBC (Source:
Cana News Agency), 20 November 1999 Nexis, 23 April 1999.
back
26
US Department of State, Belize Country Report on Human
Rights Practices for 1998 (Washington, DC: Bureau of Democracy,
Human Rights and Labor), 26 February 1999. back
27
Ibid. back
28
"Immigrants to Belize Find Predjudice in Racially Mixed
Land," Houston Chronicle, 17 January 1999, on-line, Nexis, 23
April 1999. back
29
Ibid. back
30
Ibid. back
31
Tom Barry, Inside Belize (Albuquerque, New Mexico: Inter-Hemispheric
Education Resource Center, 1992), 34. back
32
US Department of State, Belize Country Report on Human
Rights Practices for 1998 (Washington, DC: Bureau of Democracy,
Human Rights and Labor), 26 February 1999. back
33
Tom Barry, Inside Belize (Albuquerque, New Mexico: Inter-Hemispheric
Education Resource Center, 1992), 125-126. back
34
Interview with Joel D. Wainwright, student, 10 September
1997. back
35
Interview with Lisa Shoman, attorney, 29 September 1997.
back
36
Tom Barry, Inside Belize (Albuquerque, New Mexico: Inter-Hemispheric
Education Resource Center, 1992), 34-35. back
37
Quoted in Tom Barry, Inside Belize (Albuquerque, New Mexico:
Inter-Hemispheric Education Resource Center, 1992), 121.
back
38
Irma McClaurin, Women of Belize. Gender and Change in Central
America (New Brunswick, NJ:Rutgers University Press,1996), 19.
back
39
Interview with Lisa Shoman, 29 September 1997. back
40
US Department of State, Belize Country Report on Human
Rights Practices for 1998 (Washington, DC: Bureau of Democracy,
Human Rights and Labor), 26 February 1999. back
41
"Mapping Progress-Assessing Implementation of the Beijing
Platform 1998" Women's Environment and Development Organization,
11 November 1998, Nexis, 6 April 1999. back
42
Ibid. back
43
Ibid. back
44
Irma McClaurin, Women of Belize. Gender and Change in Central
America (New Brunswick, NJ:Rutgers University Press,1996), 174.
back
45
Tom Barry, Inside Belize (Albuquerque, New Mexico: Inter-Hemispheric
Education Resource Center, 1992), 96. back
46
For instance, the 120 workers had to share four washbasins
during a half-hour lunch break; there were only six toilets
available for them; the company provided stools instead of chairs
with backrests for a nine-hour work day, and women were locked
in the facility without the possibility to open its gates in
case of an emergency, etc. back
47
Tom Barry, Inside Belize (Albuquerque, New Mexico: Inter-Hemispheric
Education Resource Center, 1992), 96. back
48
Irma McClaurin, Women of Belize: Gender and Change in Central
America (New Brunswick, NJ:Rutgers University Press,1996), 105-107.
back
49
Wesley Gibbings, "Caribeean-Population: Startling Figures
Send Governments Planning," Inter Press Service, 28 October
1996. back
50
US Department of State, Belize Country Report on Human
Rights Practices for 1998 (Washington, DC: Bureau of Democracy,
Human Rights and Labor), 26 February 1999. back
51
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 1997
Annual Survey of Violations of Trade Union Rights (Brussels:
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 1997), 39.
back
52
Pan American Health Organization, Country Health Profiles:
Belize, 15 September 1995, available at http://www.paho.org/,
accessed 3 September 1997. back
53
"Mapping Progress-Assessing Implementation of the Beijing
Platform 1998" Women's Environment and Development Organization,
11 November 1998, Nexis, 6 April 1999. back
54
Tom Barry, Inside Belize (Albuquerque, New Mexico: Inter-Hemispheric
Education Resource Center, 1992), 120. back
55
Irma McClaurin, Women of Belize. Gender and Change in Central
America (New Brunswick, NJ:Rutgers University Press,1996), 69-70.
back
56
Ibid, 73-74. back
57
Tom Barry, Inside Belize (Albuquerque, New Mexico: Inter-Hemispheric
Education Resource Center, 1992), 111. back
58
"Mapping Progress-Assessing Implementation of the Beijing
Platform 1998" Women's Environment and Development Organization,
11 November 1998, on-line, Nexis, 6 April 1999. back
59
"Central America to Tackle Growing AIDS Problem," Reuters,
13 March 1997. back
60
Rae Cashif, "Belize-Health: Making the Link Between the
AIDS and Production," Inter Press Service, 24 September 1997.
back
61
Ibid. back
62
"Food Summit: Caribbean Sees Threats to Agriculture, Trade,"
Inter Press Service, 15 November 1996. back
63
Irma McClaurin, Women of Belize. Gender and Change in Central
America (New Brunswick, NJ:Rutgers University Press,1996), 80-81.
back
64
Ibid, 4. back
65
Irma McClaurin, Women of Belize. Gender and Change in Central
America (New Brunswick, NJ:Rutgers University Press,1996), 14.
back
66
Zee Edgell, The Festival of San Joaquin, (Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann Publishers, 1997), 16. back
67
Interview with Lisa Shoman, 29 September 1997. back
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