Spike in Violence Against Women Alarms Belize Police Amid Activism Campaign

As Belize observes 16 Days of Activism, the Belize Police Department has registered a troubling increase in violent crimes being committed against women, particularly during domestic disputes. Last month, a woman was kidnapped and gruesomely beaten by her ex-husband after leaving what she says was an abusive marriage. And, as the country prepared to celebrate the 16 Days of Activism, a 63-year-old woman was viciously stabbed to death inside her home in the Cayo District. Today, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams spoke on the unfortunate incidents and the difficulty police face in preventing such crimes. He underscored that it is a broader social issue that can hopefully be eliminated through campaigns like the 16 Days of Activism. 

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police: “It’s difficult. We’re trying or best to hold down the conventional types of murders, the gang related murders and so forth. Those that emanate from night clubs with drunkenness and so forth and then we se these ones pop up, the domestic ones that are not within the preventive reach of the police and those frustrate me because we’re out there, we’re trying and out of the blue this one just comes up. It’s tough. But we have to continue to do what we can to hold those perpetrators accountable. I know that we are in the 16 Days of Activism right now and there is a lot being said in terms of domestic violence.”

Williams added that the department has seen an increase in reported cases.