The Government of Belize is being supported by UNFPA and the European Union (EU) to take concrete steps in ensuring Gender Based Violence (GBV) risks are mitigated and that services available for survivors are of the highest quality, including during humanitarian emergencies.

Through the European Union-funded Spotlight Initiative, UNFPA has led catalytic work focused on contributing to the development of technical capacities in different areas of work geared towards addressing GBV in Belize and other countries where Spotlight is being implemented in the Caribbean. Among the activities were three key capacity building sessions which were conducted June 11 - 21, 2023. 

The first initiative aimed at ensuring frontline emergency response teams working with the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) had practical tools to include key considerations to mitigate Gender Based Violence in Emergency Shelters, activated following a disaster. Personnel from NEMO, the Coast Guard and Police were trained in the safe and ethical response to incidents of Gender Based Violence, following the country’s Gender Based Violence Referral System, developed with support from UNFPA since 2020.

The second initiative focused on supporting the National Women’s Commission, during its Annual Retreat, to strategize and consolidate key actions to strengthen their capacities to coordinate a multisectoral response to Gender Based Violence in the event of an emergency.

The third initiative comprised of a comprehensive training session aimed at strengthening the work of Safe Houses for Survivors of Gender Based Violence in Belize, in line with the operationalization of the Guidelines for the Management of Safe Shelters for Survivors of Gender Based Violence in the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, launched by UNFPA in 2021. This event brought together, for the first time, Social Workers and Safe Houses Managers to strategize and further strengthen their collaboration in ensuring survivors of Gender Based Violence, particularly survivors of Intimate Partner Violence and victims of trafficking, are protected and receive a full range of quality services.

The current implementation of the Spotlight Initiative has also resulted in the development of the new Gender Policy and a new Gender Based Violence Action Plan and national Social and Behavior Change Communication Strategy to end Violence Against Women and Girls. These efforts have also resulted in an increased interest by different sectors of work, to ensure Gender Based Violence considerations are mainstreamed in their work. 

The global Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women and girls is a United Nations initiative in collaboration with the European Union and other partners.