BELIZE-Belize convenes national dialogue to accelerate action against violence against children.

BELMOPAN, Belize, CMC – Belize held a national dialogue on ending violence against children on Thursday as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country prepares to participate in the Second Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, scheduled for November 18-19 in the Philippines.

The dialogue, which brought together several national, regional, and international stakeholders, agreed that violence against children remains one of the most pervasive violations of children’s rights globally.

“It undermines children’s health, education, protection, and overall well-being, with consequences that can last a lifetime. Every child has the right to grow up free from violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation,” according to the statement issued following the dialogue.

It said the national dialogue represented an important opportunity for Belize to review progress made since joining governments from around the world at the first Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children in Colombia in 2024.

According to the statement, Belize had pledged to accelerate efforts to end violence against children. Since then, the country has advanced a multisectoral approach to translate these commitments into action through national policies, programs, and partnerships aligned with the INSPIRE strategies for ending violence against children.

The statement said the contributions of various stakeholders will help ensure future commitments are informed by the realities children face and reflect solutions that respond to their needs.

Human Development, Family Support & Gender Affairs Minister, Thea Garcia-Ramirez, told the dialogue that the real measure of the country’s success will not be what is said at an international conference.

“It will be what changes for children in Belize upon return. It will be whether a child is safer in their home. Whether a child feels protected and supported at school. Whether a child who experiences violence can access the services they need.

“Whether the systems we have built actually respond when a child reaches out for help. And whether we, as adults and as institutions, listen when children tell us what they need. Every child in Belize has the right to grow up safe, protected, and heard,” Garcia-Ramirez added.

The advisor, Health Systems and Services with the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), Dr. Roberto Bohrt, said that while no single sector can prevent and respond to violence against children and adolescents in isolation, the UN organization, in its technical cooperation role to Belize, understands the fundamental role that the health sector should play within a multisectoral response.

He said that health services provide a key point of contact with children, adolescents, and their families and can contribute to the early identification of violence and risk factors, provide comprehensive care and support to survivors, and facilitate timely referrals to protection services and response mechanisms in other sectors.

Bohrt said the health sector also plays a central role in primary prevention by incorporating preventive interventions into programs and services designed to promote the health and well-being of children and adolescents, and by generating and using data to understand the magnitude and characteristics of violence and identify groups and situations at greater risk.

UNICEF’s representative for Belize, Sajid Ali, reaffirmed his organization’s commitment to promoting dialogue and collaboration to end violence against children while underscoring the importance of placing children at the center of solutions.

“Ending violence against children requires collective action across all sectors of society, and children must be at the center of these conversations,” he said, highlighting the need for a coordinated, child-centered approach to creating safer families, schools, communities, and online spaces for every child in Belize.