COUNTRY: BELIZE SUBMITTED BY WOMEN S DEPARTMENT, Part 1

Transcription

1 COUNTRY: BELIZE SUBMITTED BY WOMEN S DEPARTMENT, 2009 Part 1 a) Has a national policy on gender equality and the empowerment of women been adopted and at what level? Was a strategy or plan of action developed to support the implementation of the policy? What mechanisms were established for monitoring and how are different actors held accountable for its implementation? Is there a national coordination mechanism at the highest level to ensure that the policy is implemented in all sector areas? The production of the National Gender Policy represents the culmination not only of a progressive body of work in Belize over the past decade and more, but also of a global evolution in the conceptualization of gender relations and its central place in the pursuit of human rights and human development. It refers to developments in Belize, alongside the transition in global understanding which has led to current initiatives in gender mainstreaming in the following priority areas: Health, Violence-Producing Conditions, Sexual abuse provisions, Access to justice, Domestic violence and child abuse registration system, Domestic violence framework, Victims and survivors of abuse, Perpetrators of abuse, Sexual harassment, Child abandonment and neglect and Commercial sex work. Review of the policy, which was developed in 2002, commenced in March It is expected that the complete revision of the National Gender Policy will be completed by the end of 2009 by the National Women s Commission. A plan of action to address the issue of gender-based violence (which is an integral component of the National Gender Policy) has been developed. National Gender-Based Violence Plan is a contribution to the realization of the mission and goals of the Gender-Based Violence Committee which was revitalized in It makes reference to international commitments made by the government combined with other regional and international instruments, which are being used to mount a national vigorous effort to halt gender-based violence in all its forms in Belize. It is designed to also serve as a basis for advocacy work, and as a tool to assist policy and decision makers to contribute to the achievement of the national and international goals. Belize is signatory to a number of international commitments in regards to the elimination of gender-based violence. This plan has been developed with these commitments in mind. The aim is to ensure that over the next five years Belize moves towards the goals and objectives of the leading documents in these areas, namely the Millennium Development Goals, the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Beijing Platform for Action, the Outcomes Document, the Commonwealth Plan of Action and the CARICOM Regional Plan of Action. It is a tool whose aim is to outline the problem of gender-based violence, elaborate its linkages to poverty, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and discuss its impact on the nation s development by complementing the polices addressed in key National documents such as: The National Plan of Action for Children and Adolescents in Belize , Belize s National Gender Policy 2002, the Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy and the National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan and Policy. It is widely acknowledged that in order to effectively tackle gender-based violence in Belize a coordinated and cross-sectional integrated approach is required to address the cultural, social and economic obstacles to achieving lives free from violence. This National Plan for looks to create a fully comprehensive strategy, encompassing law enforcement, health, justice administration, housing, community advocacy and education. The discussion on the issue of gender-based violence is one of development priority.

2 Through the UNIFEM regional project, Strengthening State Accountability and Community Action for Ending Gender-Based Violence in the Caribbean, this action plan will be revised by the end of One of the recognized deficiencies of the 2002 National Gender Policy is the lack of clearly defined indicators and capacity of responsible agency to monitor the Policy. When the Policy was developed, the National Women s Commission was identified as the responsible agency for monitoring its implementation. However, at that time, the Commission was an advisory body comprised of volunteers. In 2008, the Government of Belize strengthened the Commission by hiring an Executive Director. Plans are now in place to establish the Commission as a Statutory Body. The revision of the Policy will include the addition of clearly defined indicators which will facilitate the monitoring of the Policy s implementation by the National Women s Commission. b) What impact does the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the concluding comments of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, have on the promotion of gender equality? How is implementation of the Convention progressing? The Women s Department uses the concluding comments of CEDAW Committee to guide the development of yearly operational plans. The comments are also used to assist in rationalizing project proposals in to address or strengthen certain areas. For instance, the Committee has indicated the need for more programs and attention to be focused on the empowerment of rural women. Consequently, the Women s Department has endeavoured to conduct more training sessions in rural communities throughout the country. The National Women s Commission and the Women s Department are presently developing public awareness material to promote CEDAW and to bring awareness to its articles. The pertinent articles of CEDAW are used to develop and strength gender equality-based programs executed by the Women s Department. This includes the execution of the Gender Awareness Safe School Program which is one of the main programs within the Department s operational plan that focuses on gender equality. The Gender Awareness Safe School Program is executed in one primary and one secondary school in each district of the country on a rotational basis. This program attempts to set a foundation or gender equality among boys and girls inside and outside of school. This program specifically focuses on Articles 5 and 10 of CEDAW. The Government of Belize continues to respect and uphold its commitment under CEDAW. There are some areas that require more stringent focus than others and some on which additional resources are dependent. The Government in its commitment to advance women s issues in Belize has commenced strengthening of the National Women s Commission, an advisory body to government that is responsible for monitoring CEDAW. For the first time since its 26 years of existence, the National Women s Commission is staffed with a full-time technical Executive Director. The Commission is presently drafting the instrument that will legally establish it as a statutory body. The Commission and the Women s Department are presently preparing to do preliminary work that will precede the drafting of the 5 th and 6 th periodic report.

3 c) What are the main legislative and policy-making achievements in the promotion of gender equality and women s empowerment over the past decade? Please provide details. The October of 2008, the Domestic Violence Act of 2007 came into force. This Act repealed the Domestic Violence Act, Chapter 178 of the Substantive Laws of Belize, Revised Edition The Domestic Violence Act of 2007 empowers the Courts when dealing with domestic violence cases, to increase protection to the applicants. The scope of Protection Orders has been increased so that an Order may now: be put in place for up to 3 years include a requirement to pay child maintenance if there is no existing order for maintenance include a requirement to take any weapons used in domestic violence to the Police The Act provides more severe penalties in respect of Breach of any Orders: On a first conviction, to a fine not exceeding $9000 or to imprisonment for a period of 12 months or to both On a second conviction to a fine not exceeding $15,000 and not less that $12000 or to imprisonment for a period of 24 months or both On any subsequent conviction to a period of imprisonment for 5 years. The Act enlarges the categories of people who may apply for Orders against domestic violence. This includes the provision for defacto spouses or persons in visiting relationships to apply to the Court for Orders. The legislation streamlines and provides greater powers to the police in respect of their ability to intervene in domestic violence situations. The Act increases the offences which constitute domestic violence by broadening the definition of domestic violence to include Financial Abuse. It also includes provisions for the payment of financial compensation to an applicant for any financial loss which arises as a direct result of domestic violence. The Act specifies more provisions for the Court to issue Counselling Orders to direct the respondent, applicant, child or any other person specified in the Order to receive professional counselling or for the respondent to undergo probation in a rehabilitation program. On July 19 th, 2005 Cabinet agreed to amend the relevant legislation (Labour Act) and regulations to provide for 14 weeks maternity leave entitlement for female Public Officers instead of 12 weeks on full pay and to ratify the revised ILO Convention No. 183 Maternity Protection Convention.

4 Cabinet, in July 2005, directed that the Attorney General s Ministry draft amendments to existing legislation to raise the age of criminal responsibility from nine (9) to twelve (12) and to raise the age of marriage (with the consent of the parents) from fourteen (14) to sixteen (16) years. Belize has passed a Trafficking in Persons Act to address growing concerns regarding the coerced labour or service imposed on persons as a result of their migration status or being pregnant, disabled, addicted to alcohol or drugs, or being a child. The corresponding protocol for suppressing trafficking in persons focuses explicitly on protecting the rights of women and children. The passing of the Act has resulted in the setting up of a Taskforce to implement and create public awareness in an effort to convict those persons who are involved in human trafficking. Women and young girls who are involved will now be seen as victims and afforded protection under the law. In the past, these women and girls were arrested and charged and the perpetrators were not. Other legal initiatives include the amendment of the Criminal Code to provide for the offence of marital rape; to rationalize the penalties for the offence of carnal knowledge of a female child; provide a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment for habitual sex offenders and makes provisions for the treatment and reporting of sex offenders. Furthermore, the law now recognizes common law unions as couples living together for five years or more and not married to anyone else for the purpose of inheritance and property rights. The law has also placed economic value on home care/child care in instances of divorce or separation and custody of children no longer depends on mother s private life. Other legislation which have promoted equality and women s empowerment refer to the revision of the minimum wage for domestic workers and shop assistants increased to be on par with other workers, the Sexual Harassment Act, the Equal Pay Act and the law on Trafficking in Persons. In 2001 Legislation was passed to criminalize the wilful transmission of HIV, although currently this law is being reviewed in the context of a National HIV/AIDS Policy and Legislation Project. In the amendment to the criminal code, recognizing rape by the male partner, the woman or girl who is a victim is no longer accused of delinquency when she is exploited by men.

5 A law on sexual and reproductive health was adopted by the government in It provides increased protection for women and children, young women and the elderly against all forms of violence and abuse. From February to June 2005, there were debates, conferences and discussions among various agencies active in society with an interest in the issue of violence against women, for the purpose of discussing promotion of the Belem do Para Convention. Under the Families and Children Act Revised 2000, children born to unmarried women are under the legal custody of the mother unless the mother is proven to be unfit. The Women s Department conducted a consultative review of The Protection Against Sexual Harassment Act in The Department is presently reviewing the report of that consultation and will be using the information gathered to develop a public education campaign on sexual harassment. d) To what extent have gender perspectives and the concerns of women been taken into account in preparation of budgets at national, regional and local levels? Has this resulted in increased resources for gender equality? Describe efforts to increase and track budgetary allocations related to achieving gender equality and empowerment of women. Have gender-responsive budgeting procedures been introduced and to what effect? Women s Issues Network of Belize (a Network of Women s Organizations) held a series of focus group sessions in 2004 and The purpose of these focus group sessions was to learn how the network could be more effective in its work. One of the focus group sessions focused on Women, the Budget and Social and Economic Development led way to the development of a UNIFEM-funded project in The project s objective was to increase the capacity of Civil Society Organizations and citizens to be more effective in advocating for gender budgeting within government. The outputs were three forums in strategic areas to discuss gender budgeting with all stakeholders and development of pamphlets and media on gender budget available in plain language including Spanish In 2007 and 2008 the Network was involved in the Government s consultation with civil society on budget allocations for the upcoming fiscal years. In 2008, the Network held a session for Chief Executive Officers of several government ministries on Gender Budgeting. This session was repeated for members of senior management in several government departments in early The National Women s Commission and the Women s Issue Network have recently submitted a proposal for funding to strengthen the foundation laid in the area of gender

6 budgeting in Belize. If funded, by the end of 2009 the National Women s Commission with support from the Network will do doing stocktaking/review and analysis of any previous gender budget exercises and the current budget process in Belize. They also intend to develop a strategy for piloting the gender budget initiative in Belize in 2010 and develop an advocacy and education plan to get approval for the piloting of the strategy in one government ministry of Belize. These efforts will continue to promote the consideration of gender perspectives in budget allocation. In the last fiscal year 2009/2010, the Women s Department, which is the government agency with responsibility for women s empowerment and gender equality, received an increase in budget allocations and the Department continues to be supported in its resource development efforts. e) To what extent are the Millennium Declaration Goals (MDGs) utilized as the national framework for development? What attention is given to Goal 3 on gender equality? Is nationallevel data available to effectively monitor the achievement of the targets under MDG3? Are gender perspectives and the concerns of women considered in all other MDG goals? The MDG Needs Assessment and Cost Prognosis is aimed at mainstreaming the Millennium Development Goals into Belize s national plans and budget whilst simultaneously strengthening national planning capacities for MDG based planning. The initiative will focus on MDGs 3: Gender Equality, MDG 4: Child Mortality and MDG 7: Environmental sustainability. The objectives are being pursued through a collaborative process of assessing and costing the measures that need to be taken to achieve these three MDGs. This process involves determining the status of Belize s progress toward achieving these specific goals; determining the measures required to achieve the Goals; and estimating the recurrent and investment costs associated with the indicated measures. This initiative is being funded by UNDP. The project outputs include strengthened capacities at all levels of government and non-state actors to formulate, implement and monitor policies and legislation that address MDG achievement; Improved research, data collection and compilation, disaggregation, analysis and reporting systems and/for MDGs; Effective targeting, transparency and monitoring of national programmes, budget allocations and investments for MDG achievement; and Adaptive management for MDG achievement. f) Provide information on major government policy discussions and/or parliamentary debates where gender perspectives and the concerns of women have been taken systematically into account and resulted in policy and/or programmatic changes. No such information is available What recent major reforms have taken place in the country where these perspectives were taken into account? No such information is available What major problems are being debated in the country where the perspective of women and gender equality are considered as an integral part of the overall debate?

7 This issue of poverty continues to be an area of concern and discussion. At present, the government is conducting a Belize Country Poverty Assessment the objectives of which is to supplement the quantitative information from the LSMS (Living Standards Measurement Survey) by providing additional and more detailed information on the nature, causes and trends of poverty in Belize; and to complement the Institutional Analysis by obtaining the perceptions of communities and vulnerable groups on the nature and accessibility of the assistance from government and non government agencies, and how this could be made more congruent. An integral component of this assessment involves various focus groups sessions, interviews with key informants and community meeting. Individual focus group sessions have as the target population single mothers, single fathers, youth and disabled persons. The key informant sessions include those with the Women s Department which is the government department mandated to address women s empowerment and gender equality. During interviews, it was highlighted that poverty and gender inequality are correlated. Poverty is often a manifestation of gender disparities in a society. This assessment will influence the strategies being employed to address the issue of poverty taking gender perspectives into consideration g) In countries emerging from armed conflict, to what extent were women involved, and gender perspectives and women s concerns included, in peace negotiations and in planning of reconstruction efforts? Not applicable h) How has globalization (for example, the use of ICT, market liberalization, changes in trading patterns, etc) affected the empowerment of women and girls and the promotion of gender equality? What efforts are being made to reduce potential risks and to build on opportunities for women? Information not available i) In which sector areas have specific policies, strategies and/or action plans for promotion of gender equality and women s empowerment been developed and implemented? To what extent are gender perspectives and the concerns of women routinely taken into account in legislation, policy making and programme development in other sectors, so that inequalities and gaps are identified and addressed? National Gender-Based Violence Plan is a contribution to the realization of the mission and goals of the Gender-Based Violence Committee which was revitalized in It makes reference to international commitments made by the government combined with other regional and international instruments, which are being used to mount a national vigorous effort to halt gender-based violence in all its forms in Belize. It is designed to also serve as a basis for advocacy work, and as a tool to assist policy and decision makers to contribute to the achievement of the national and international goals. Belize is signatory to a number of international commitments in regards to the elimination of gender-based violence. This plan has been developed with these commitments in mind. The aim is to ensure that over the next five years Belize moves towards the goals and objectives of the leading documents in these

8 areas, namely the Millennium Development Goals, the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Beijing Platform for Action, the Outcomes Document, the Commonwealth Plan of Action and the CARICOM Regional Plan of Action. It is a tool whose aim is to outline the problem of gender-based violence, elaborate its linkages to poverty, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and discuss its impact on the nation s development by complementing the polices addressed in key National documents such as: The National Plan of Action for Children and Adolescents in Belize , Belize s National Gender Policy 2002, the Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy and the National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan and Policy. It is widely acknowledged that in order to effectively tackle gender-based violence in Belize a coordinated and cross-sectional integrated approach is required to address the cultural, social and economic obstacles to achieving lives free from violence. This National Plan for looks to create a fully comprehensive strategy, encompassing law enforcement, health, justice administration, housing, community advocacy and education. The discussion on the issue of gender-based violence is one of development priority. In 2005 the Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy was launched which focuses on interventions to protect and promote sexual and reproductive health and rights. It addresses Millennium Development Goal #5 to improve maternal health and outlines strategies to provide women with more access to reproductive health services. The Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy recognizes the need for special attention to issues of adolescent health. The Policy includes eleven commitments aimed at: protecting the rights of adolescents regarding sexual and reproductive health information and services, eliminating discrimination against young pregnant women, ensuring pregnant women s right to return to school, providing counselling and mental health services to adolescents and building the capacity of those who provide them with these services. A Maternal and Perinatal Mortality Reduction Plan was developed in 2005 through the efforts of the National Mortality Committee to develop a mechanism which will help to increase pregnancy spacing and reduce the number of children per women; to increase the access to information on Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights and Safe Motherhood to people particularly those in the rural area.; and to put in place programs for the empowerment of women in Sexual and Reproductive Health issues. Through the Ministry of Health, the Government initiated the Safe Motherhood Initiative to improve maternal and child health in the country. Since 2005 efforts have focused on strengthening the Safe Motherhood planning and programming in Belize, by improving the collection of data and the analysis of information that will guide improvement of maternal care and safe motherhood. Safe Motherhood Committees have been established at the regional and national level and surveillance of maternal mortality has improved significantly. Training has also taken place for thirty (30) medical doctors and nurses from Regional Hospitals to ensure mandatory reporting of maternal death. Members of the Safe Motherhood Committee have also received training and have been sensitized as to their roles and responsibilities. Statistics for 2004 indicate 97% skilled birth attendants and 3% untrained personnel.

9 The National Policy on Health and Family Life Education (HFLE) was introduced in 2004 by the Ministry of Health and Education. The HFLE Program is a comprehensive life-skills based program that educates children, youth, and adults through guided experiences to become contributing and productive citizens. This program also establishes life-skills that emphasize effective interpersonal and informed sexual and reproductive choices as well as fosters the development of skills, attitudes and knowledge that result in health social and family values and lifestyles. The HFLE Curriculum is incorporated into schools countrywide, giving youths an opportunity to acquire knowledge, skills, and values that will enable them to make healthy lifestyle choices. The success of the HFLE Program has been determined by the vibrant and sustainable active collaboration between the Ministries of Education, Health and Human Development. This multi-faceted approach has resulted in maximizing of limited resources, human, technical and financial. It has also led to the execution of more effective programmes for young persons, including at risk girls. The implementation of the HFLE Policy has sought to provide an appropriate avenue to address the health and social ills affecting young people one of those being teenage pregnancy. The Gender Integration Program Action Plan is a two-year action plan that focus on increasing the support and participation of decision-makers in the Gender Integration Program, increasing the general population s awareness of and support for the Gender Integration Program and increase awareness and advocate for the enactment of the National Gender Policy so as to facilitate the implementation of the program This National Plan of Action for Children and Adolescents ( ) is a comprehensive plan which prioritizes actions on behalf of children, in the areas of education, health, child protection, HIV/AIDS, family and culture, over an eleven year period. The National Policy on HIV/AIDS (2005) provides a framework, based on human rights for the prevention of HIV and the reduction of its impacts at all levels of society. j) What types of significant partnerships have been established with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society groups, as well as the private sector and other stakeholders, in support of different aspects of national efforts on gender equality and empowerment of women through for example, advocacy, participation in planning, implementation and monitoring of policies and programmes and service delivery?

10 The Women s Department continues to foster a harmonious working relationship with its partner agencies and engages in collaborative efforts throughout the year. Civil society organizations such as the Young Women s Christian Association and Council of Churches are key partner agencies of the Women s Department. Representatives of civil society sit on various committees chaired the Women s Department such as National Gender-based Violence Committee, 16 Days of Activism Planning Committee and Women s Month Planning Committee. The Women s Department and the National Women s Commission have partnered with civil on many occasions including in the execution of advocacy campaigns, and in external grant seeking. The Women s Issue Network serves as an observer on the National Women s Commission and both the Commission and the Women s Department are members of the Women s Issues Network. Belize is presently executing a regional project funded by UNIFEM: Strengthening State Accountability and Community Action for Ending Gender-Based Violence in the Caribbean. The objective of the project is to end gender-based violence through strengthened and responsive state and civil society actions. This will involve the development of multi-sectoral strategic plans to address the protection, prevention and punishment of sexual and gender-based violence; building competencies of the justice and security sectors and the non-governmental sector to respond effectively to gender-based violence; building a monitoring framework to ensure state accountability through civil society-state partnerships; and promotion of a gendersensitive, youth-focused social communications strategy on gender-based violence. k) What efforts have been made to actively engage men and boys in the promotion of gender equality, including for example in eliminating violence against women and combating HIV/AIDS? What successes have been achieved and what constraints have been identified? In January 2005 the Department introduced a Gender Awareness Safe School Programme geared at providing the foundation for more equitable relations between girls and boys in our society. The target groups are students in Standard Five and Second Form. The sessions are facilitated by Women Development Officers and officers from partner agencies. Topics covered are Gender Sensitization, Domestic Violence, Sexual Harassment, Self-Esteem and HIV/AIDS. Sessions are held once a week per school. A total of 2789 students have benefited from this program since its inception in In 2007, a Gender Awareness Safe School Manual was developed to provide a foundation for more equitable relations between girls and boys inside and outside of the school setting. The guide which is intended for the use of Women Development Officer, teachers and facilitators of the Gender Awareness Safe School Program, provides an overview of the program and outlines sessions that focus on gender awareness, domestic violence, sexual abuse, self esteem and HIV/AIDS. Important facts and information are incorporated using a youth-friendly and skills-building approach. This program is still being executed in one primary and one secondary school per district per school year. In 2006, a group of men lead at the time by a Magistrate of the Belize Family Court organized a group called Men Against Domestic Violence (Mad-V.) This group was short-lived as there were problems in terms of leadership and commitment. Although efforts have been made to reorganize, it has been futile.

11 One component of the UNIFEM-funded project Strengthening State Accountability and Community Action for Ending Gender-Based Violence in the Caribbean is based on the need for men to be engaged as partners in advocacy and action on ending sexual and gender-based violence. Engaging men as champions for change is an integral of the project which will be completed by the end of l) What is the impact of climate change and food and energy crises on the promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women? What steps are being taken to reduce the potential risks for and impact on women and to engage women effectively in prevention and mitigation processes? Have social protection measures been put in place to reduce the impact on women and have measures been adopted to support women farmers? The integration of a gender perspective into disaster risk management and plans will be clearly realized within the next few years due to the fact that the Government of Belize has embarked on a UNDP-funded project: Strengthening of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response Capacity in Belize, which is intended to support the national structure for emergency management, addressing those gaps in its processes identified by recent assessments. The Project Document identifies that: Belize.. is not yet advanced in the inclusion of Genderbased analysis to inform its emergency management. Existing national disaster management frameworks and disaster response plans do not adequately reflect gender perspectives.. In an effort to ensure adequate inclusion of the specific needs of women.in the identification of national vulnerabilities and to allow for the true mainstreaming of gender in national disaster planning and response efforts, the project proposes the strengthening of national authorities, with responsibility for the gender mandate, to effectively advocate for continued gender mainstreaming and to serve as national gender champions in the performance of their roles.. 1 This project scheduled to be executed for the period , entails contracting the services of a Gender Specialist to be attached to the Women s Department. The Gender Specialist will work to ensure that gender issues are considered in project activities particularly as it relates to comprehensive disaster management. m) What is the impact of the financial crisis on the promotion of gender equality? What measures have been taken to reduce the negative impact on women s access to resources, income and social protection? To what extent have measures to revive growth mobilized women s economic potential? In 2008, the Women s Department conducted a series of entrepreneurship training for women in urban and rural communities including women from indigenous populations. These sessions resulted in the development of a training manual on Women s Entrepreneurship. This training manual can now be utilized by partner agencies in government and civil society to conduct entrepreneurship training for women at the community level. 1 UNDP Strengthening of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response Capacity in Belize Project Document, 2007

12 In response to global and local financial instability, the Women s Department focused its Women s Month activities on Creating opportunities for development through women s economic empowerment. Activities included the 4 th Annual Women s Summit which focused on the theme and had presentations on Women and Economic Development: Coping with the economic realities, Employment opportunities for women in the technical field and Women in Business- accessing credit. The Summit provided rural, urban and indigenous women with the opportunity to garner information and skills on coping with financial realities of our time. Part 2 A. Examples of successful policies, legislative change and programmes and projects a) In relation to the critical areas of concern in the Platform for Action and other key issues, what successful actions (such as legal measures, policy reforms, media campaigns, and pilot programmes or projects) have been taken by the Government or other actors (NGOs, civil society, the private sector) to achieve these objectives. Please provide concrete examples. The Women s Department has completed the first cycle of the Supporting Single Mothers in Belize City Project. Fifty eight single mothers completed the 4-month training. This project is government s effort to create more opportunities for development through women s economic empowerment. It involves skills training in four areas: housekeeping, sewing, cosmetology and child care. In addition to the skills training component, participants also receive mentorship, entrepreneurship training holist family case management both of which occur throughout the program and job placement is offered at the completion of the skills training. Upon completing the program, successful participants were presented with entrepreneurship packages to help them in the event that they prefer to venture into selfemployment. It is envisioned that this project will eventually become a program of the Women s Department. The Women s Department continues to offer skills training programs for women throughout the country. Over the past few years, the Department has focused on offered more nontraditional skills training programs including auto-mechanics and tile laying. In some communities, the response of women to non-traditional skills training is not a welcomed one. Many women in both urban and rural communities are hesitant to learn skills that traditionally have been men s domain. The Department has consequently realized the need for more advocacy programs on gender equality and gender stereotypes. The Ministry of Health has a Maternal Child Health program that was established with the purpose of facilitating a health care environment where there is an improved access, coverage

13 and quality of basic care for mothers and children. The services provided include pre and postnatal integrated health care, child health and sexual and reproductive health services. The services are delivered through a network of urban and rural health centers. In 2002, the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) Program along with the Guidelines for the Management of the Prevention of the Mother to Child Transmission of HIV was implemented countrywide by the Ministry of Health. This protocol involves voluntary HIV testing of the pregnant mother in the first trimester and at the thirty-sixth gestational week, the use of Nevirapine to the HIV positive mother 48 hours before delivery and also to the newborn 48 to 72 hours after birth and the provision of artificial milk for nine months. This program has been one of the most successful HIV-related programs executed in Belize. For several years, the Women s Department and its partner agencies including the Magistracy, have convened meetings to discuss the need and possibility of establishing a Batterers Intervention Programme in Belize. In 2008, the Women s Department and United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) engaged in discussion on said programme. Through the guidance of the Regional Experts Group, which is a group that was convened by UNIFEM to review and analyze existing regional batterer intervention programmes, and to construct a framework for standardizing such programmes in the Caribbean, premised on the protection of women s human rights and on perpetrator accountability (UNIFEM, 2008), and the support of UNIFEM, the Women s Department will be piloting said program by the end of The Women s Department realized that the ability of women to enjoy certain benefits is hindered by that fact they are unaware of their legal rights. Consequently in 2008, the Department developed a Women s Rights Handbook to provide Belizean women with basic information about their legal rights as it pertains to a number of issues including, among others: domestic violence, divorce, child custody, labour rights, sexual harassment and maintenance rights. The handbook has recently been translated to and published in Spanish. The production of this handbook has been coupled with community information sessions, development of brochures and execution of public awareness campaigns. The October of 2008, the Domestic Violence Act of 2007 came into force. This Act repealed the Domestic Violence Act, Chapter 178 of the Substantive Laws of Belize, Revised Edition The Domestic Violence Act of 2007 empowers the Courts when dealing with domestic violence cases, to increase protection to the applicants. The scope of Protection Orders has been increased so that an Order may now: be put in place for up to 3 years include a requirement to pay child maintenance if there is no existing order for maintenance

14 include a requirement to take any weapons used in domestic violence to the Police The Act provides more severe penalties in respect of Breach of any Orders: On a first conviction, to a fine not exceeding $9000 or to imprisonment for a period of 12 months or to both On a second conviction to a fine not exceeding $15,000 and not less that $12000 or to imprisonment for a period of 24 months or both On any subsequent conviction to a period of imprisonment for 5 years. The Act enlarges the categories of people who may apply for Orders against domestic violence. This includes the provision for defacto spouses or persons in visiting relationships to apply to the Court for Orders. The legislation streamlines and provides greater powers to the police in respect of their ability to intervene in domestic violence situations. The Act increases the offences which constitute domestic violence by broadening the definition of domestic violence to include Financial Abuse. It also includes provisions for the payment of financial compensation to an applicant for any financial loss which arises as a direct result of domestic violence. The Act specifies more provisions for the Court to issue Counselling Orders to direct the respondent, applicant, child or any other person specified in the Order to receive professional counselling or for the respondent to undergo probation in a rehabilitation program. At the request of the Police Department the Women s Department rendered assistance by reviewing the existing Domestic Violence Protocol for Police within the context of the enactment of a new legislation. Suggestions for amendments to the Protocol were submitted to the Police Department in August In March 2008, the Women s Department offered training to Magistrates from across the country on the provisions of the Domestic Violence Act. A separate training was held for Magistrates in December 2008 and focused on legislation that protects women s rights. The Magistrate s and Family Courts continue to request that the Women s Department organizes more training sessions on legislation. On an annual basis, the Women s Department conducts training with recruits at the Police Academy on the issue of Domestic Violence. While the sessions cover the Domestic Violence Act and types of abuse, a significant portion of it focuses on Police Officers as Batterers and Police Officers as Victims.

15 During August and September 2008 the Women s Department implemented a consultative review process and met with various representatives of the relevant agencies to discuss the Protection Against Sexual Harassment Act The focus of the consultative review was to discuss why no complaints have been brought before the courts even although the legislation has been in place now for twelve years. A number of suggestions for specific amendments to the legislation were raised by the relevant agencies. It is hoped that in the future these amendments will be implemented in order to make the legislation more user-friendly and provide the courts with a wider range of deterrents and powers. The Youth Enhancement Services (an NGO), National Organization for the Prevention of Child abuse and neglect (NOPCAN) and the National Committee for Families and Children (statutory body) have done extensive work on Commercial Sexual Exploitation of children (CSEC). This includes advocacy and public awareness campaigns that have been executed countrywide. The objectives of an ILO-funded project to address this issues were To reduce the incidences of CSEC; To identify at least 100 children and adolescents who are victims of CSEC or at-risk of becoming victims (40 direct/60 at risk); To address CSEC through inter-agency collaboration/coordination; To raise public awareness about the issue of CSEC; To offer care and protection to victims; and To offer support to victims and their families by providing food baskets, skills training, education, counseling, medicals, referrals and support group/information sessions. The outcomes of the project were that 109 children and adolescents were reached through the action project. Of the 109 victims in Belize and Cayo Districts, 32 were reinstated in schools, 21 received formal education assistance (fees), 44 received books and school supplies, 47 received school uniforms and 31 received vocational /skills training among other things. Youth Enhancement Services hopes to launch a communications campaign by the end of 2009 which would continue to address CSEC and its link to Human Trafficking. b) To what extent have specific commitments on the critical areas of concern for example in terms of resource allocation, legislative change and policy and programme development - made by the Government at the Fourth World Conference on Women or in other contexts, been met? In 2008, the Government of Belize commended strengthening of the National Women s Commission which as advisory body which, among other things, monitors CEDAW. For the first time since the establishment of the Commission, 26 years ago, the National Women s Commission was staffed with an Executive Director to carry out the day-to-day operations of the Commission. The Commission has recently developed their strategic plan, have conducted a review of the National Gender Policy and are in the process of preparing an action policy for the National gender Policy. The October of 2008, the Domestic Violence Act of 2007 came into force. This Act repealed the Domestic Violence Act, Chapter 178 of the Substantive Laws of Belize, Revised Edition

16 2000. This legislation has more provisions that provide victims of domestic violence with more options and protection. B. Examples of obstacles encountered and remaining gaps and challenges c) Describe the obstacles, gaps and challenges encountered in implementation of the critical areas of concern and other key issues identified. Limited human and financial resources. C. Lessons learned d) Provide information on the main lessons learned in implementation in relation to each of the critical areas of concern and other key issues identified. Monitoring and evaluation are critical components of any program, strategy or activity. Part 3 e) Provide concrete examples of successful interventions and explain why these were judged to be successful? Describe any effort to replicate these efforts. See Part 2 A a) What national mechanisms exist for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women for example, ministry, national commission, parliamentary committee or commission? What mandates and resources does each body have and have these increased in the review period? How do these bodies work together? Describe the location of the national mechanisms and the access to decision-making processes. What networks have been established and how effective are these networks? What resources do the national mechanisms have in terms of staff and financial support? What percentage of financial resources comes from international or bilateral donors or other external sources? Women s Department and National Women s Commission are national machineries that exist for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. The Women s Department has offices in each of the 6 districts in the country. There is one social worker (Women development Officer) per district. Recently, the Women s Department has received an increase in budget allocations. Over the past years, the mandate of the Department has increased to put more focus on gender equality. The Women s Department is

17 an ex-officio member of the National Women s Commission and both entities are under the Ministry of Human Development and Social Transformation. In 2007, the Women s Department was able to secure over US$100,000 in external funding which was almost equivalent to the capital budget allocated to the Department for programs for that fiscal year. The Government in its commitment to advance women s issues in Belize has commenced strengthening of the National Women s Commission, an advisory body to government that is responsible for monitoring CEDAW. For the first time since its 26 years of existence, the National Women s Commission is staffed with a full-time technical Executive Director. The Commission is presently drafting the instrument that will legally establish it as a statutory body. The Commission and the Women s Department are presently preparing to do preliminary work that will precede the drafting of the 5 th and 6 th periodic report. b) Have focal points for gender equality and empowerment of women been established within line ministries, and in which ministries? What support is provided from within the ministries? What support (training, advice etc.) is provided by the national machinery? How effective are these focal points? As part of its effort to implement the Beijing Platform for Action, the Women s Department has, as one of its major objectives, the mainstreaming of gender into all government policies and programs. To facilitate this process, the Department established a Gender Integration Committee (GIC) which has representation from the government and non-government sector. Each Ministry was invited to identify a Gender Focal to participate in the mainstreaming process. Through the GIC, a major communication strategy was developed and implemented to stimulate public awareness on gender mainstreaming. In addition to this communications strategy, the GIC developed a Gender Training Manual to be used to build public officers capacity for integrating a gender perspective into their work, regardless of their sector of employment. In August 2005 a Gender Integration Training for Public Officers was held to sensitize officers from each government ministry in gender analysis. All officers received certificates from the Women s Department for attending the training. To complement the efforts, a manual on the definition of gender from a Belizean perspective was commissioned by the Women s Issues Network of Belize to be used in the training of its member agencies which consist of mainly non-governmental organizations. In 2007, a Gender Focal Points Handbook was developed to guide Gender Focal Points working in partnership with the Women s Department of Belize, Gender Integration Program. The Handbook is intended to provide advice, inspiration and guidance as well as provide ideas and suggestions that can help enhance the impact of Gender Focal Points work within their different ministries, non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations, schools and businesses. The Women s Department recognizes that s some focal points have gone dormant and as such has plans to reactivate the focal points in 2009.