Belize Maintains Tier 2 Status in 2024 Trafficking Report

Belize remains a Tier 2 country in the 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report. The U.S State Department noted that the government has increased efforts compared with the previous reporting period. Notable achievements include the conviction of two traffickers and the continued prosecutions of five alleged traffickers as well as identifying more victims, and increasing investigations. This is good news, but there is the matter where the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas. The report states that Belize did not adequately address official complicity in trafficking crimes nor initiate any new prosecutions. It also did not adequately oversee labor recruitment or train its diplomats. Despite the improvement, the department also pointed out some very critical areas of improvement including the coordination between the anti-trafficking Police Unit and the Department of Labor, the strengthening of monitoring of alleged traffickers out on bail, the reduction of court delays for trafficking cases, and the enabling of the courts to function virtually, including the acceptance of video testimonies for the victim.