Belize will be the second country to launch the Model Guidelines for Sexual Offence Cases in the Caribbean. Following on the heels of the launch in Barbados (which took place on Tuesday October 17, 2017), Belize will unveil the Guidelines on Thursday October 26, 2017 at 10 am.
The launch is hosted by the Judicial Reform and Institutional Strengthening (JURIST) Project in collaboration with the judiciary of Belize and will take place at the Radisson Fort George Hotel and Marina in Belize City, Belize. The Honourable Mr. Justice Kenneth Benjamin, Chief Justice of Belize is expected to officially launch the Guidelines.
Other speakers at the launch will include His Excellency Lynn Young, Honorary Consul of Canada to Belize, and Mrs. Judith Alpuche, Chief Executive Officer, Ministry of Human Development, Social Transformation and Poverty Alleviation among others.
This will be followed by a sensitisation workshop for a cross section of justice sector stakeholders in the Belize, who work along the justice chain with complainants and witnesses in sexual offence cases.
The Guidelines provide internationally accepted best practices for the management of sexual offence cases, and offer a rights-based approach to the treatment of complainants and vulnerable witnesses, including children, involved in sexual assault cases. The Guidelines form part of a comprehensive approach that seeks to address issues faced at the investigative, pre-trial and adjudicatory phases, as well as offenders’ rehabilitation and management.
