Women’s Department Renamed to Family Support and Gender Affairs Department

The Women’s Department has undergone a name change with the approval of the Cabinet.  Effective Tuesday, November 5, the unit was renamed to the ‘Family Support and Gender Affairs Department’.  Minister of Human Development, Families, and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Dolores Balderamos Garcia, told Love News that it is long overdue to have the department’s name reflect the services it actually delivers.  She highlighted the point that the department not only caters to women but to both genders.

Dolores Balderamos Garcia, Minister of Human Development: “I believe, and our ministry, we believe that the named women’s department is a little outdated. We really believe that we should focus now on gender. One of the major issues, as we all know, is the issue of gender-based violence, but that is not the only thing that department would do. So we felt that it is time to upgrade and to change the name so that we can signal the areas that the department would focus on. And it’s clearly family support, because you remember now that the social safety net of all government would fall under that department. So we are now calling it Family Support and Gender Affairs Department. We have the rebranding already. So Family Support and Gender Affairs Department. And you know, I prefer to use the name, the word gender. Absolutely, because it’s not just women we’re dealing with. We’re dealing with men, children, families. And like I say, we have not only looking at gender issues, but also giving some aspects of the social safety net, that is why we got its family support. So it’s a big department, it deals with a lot of issues, but we feel that this is a timely change because of the focus of Plan Belize, our ministry, and our commitment to the mott of our ministry which is equality and inclusion.”

According to the ministry, the new name change aligns with its guiding principles of equality and inclusion.