Let’s Talk About Gender-Based Violence, Femicide, and Accountability in Belize

Let’s Talk About Gender-Based Violence, Femicide, and Accountability in Belize

Gender-based violence (GBV) remains one of the most pressing human rights issues facing our society today. As Belize approaches the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence in 2025, it is critical that we deepen our understanding, confront uncomfortable truths, and commit to meaningful action. This blog shines a light on femicide, sexual violence, accountability within our justice system, and the global movement calling for change.


Understanding Femicide: When Gender-Based Violence Turns Fatal

Femicide is the most extreme form of gender-based violence. It refers to the intentional killing of a woman or girl because of her gender, rooted in deep-seated inequalities, harmful social norms, and systemic discrimination that devalue the lives of women and girls.

Across Latin America, many countries have enacted specific legislation recognizing femicide as a distinct crime, with penalties reflecting the gravity of the offense. Belize, however, does not yet have legislation that explicitly defines or addresses femicide.

This reality raises urgent questions for us as a nation:

• Will Belize recognize femicide as a growing and serious concern?

• Should we move toward legislation that explicitly names and combats this violation of human rights?

As a society, we must strengthen both our legal and social systems to ensure that the lives, safety, and dignity of all women and girls are protected.


Justice, Sexual Violence, and the Cost of Minimization

In Belize, a recent case resulted in a 19-year sentence for the rape of a 9-year-old girl. Disturbingly, the lawyer involved in the case argued that the sentence was “excessive.”

When a child’s body, safety, and future are violated, no sentence that reflects the severity of that harm is excessive. Whether 19 years, 30 years, or life imprisonment, such penalties are the lawful consequences of crimes that inflict lifelong trauma.

Sexual violence is not a mistake.
It is not a misunderstanding.
It is a serious criminal act that destroys childhood and leaves enduring psychological and emotional scars.

When we allow sentences to be reduced, minimize rape and sexual assault, or permit offenders to argue their way out of accountability, we fail our children. We fail our women. And we fail as a society.

This is a call to action:

• Justice is not optional.

• Accountability is not negotiable.

We stand in solidarity with survivors.
We stand for firm legal action.
We stand for a Belize where sexual violence is met with the full force of the law.

Because no child should endure lifelong trauma while their abuser walks free.


What Are the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence?

Every year, from November 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) to December 10 (Human Rights Day), the world unites for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

This global campaign raises awareness, sparks action, and pushes for real change to end violence against women and girls.

Why 16 Days?

The dates symbolically link gender-based violence to human rights, reinforcing the message that violence against women is a human rights violation.

Why Orange?

🟧 Orange is the official color of the campaign. It represents:

1. A brighter future free from violence

2. Hope and solidarity

3. A call to action for governments, communities, and individuals

Around the world, landmarks, buildings, and digital spaces “Orange the World” to amplify this message.

When Did It Begin?

The campaign was launched by activists in 1991 and is coordinated globally by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL). Each year features a theme centered on prevention, protection, and accountability, reminding us that ending GBV requires collective responsibility.


What Is Gender-Based Violence?

Gender-Based Violence encompasses any harmful act directed at an individual or group because of their gender. Because GBV is rooted in gender inequality, it disproportionately affects women and girls, though men and boys can also be victims.

Forms of Gender-Based Violence Include:

• Physical Violence – Hitting, slapping, kicking, or any form of bodily harm

• Sexual Violence – Rape, sexual assault, harassment, coercion, or unwanted sexual contact

• Emotional/Psychological Abuse – Threats, intimidation, humiliation, isolation, and verbal abuse

• Domestic Violence – Abuse within intimate partner or family relationships, including physical, sexual, emotional, and economic harm

• Economic Abuse – Controlling access to finances, preventing employment, or withholding basic necessities

• Harmful Cultural Practices – Child marriage, female genital mutilation

• Human Trafficking – Exploitation through force, fraud, or coercion for labor or sexual purposes

How You Can Take Action

Ending gender-based violence requires more than awareness—it requires participation.

You can:

1. Wear orange to show solidarity

2. Share educational and advocacy content

3. Attend local events and workshops

4. Support organizations working to end GBV

5. Speak up and use your voice—small actions create meaningful change

For these 16 days and beyond, let us use our platforms, our voices, and our actions to stand with survivors and help build a Belize where everyone lives free from fear and oppression. 🧡

Sources:

Center for Women’s Global Leadership. 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. Rutgers University, cwgl.rutgers.edu/16-days-of-activism-against-gender-based-violence.

United Nations. What Is Gender-Based Violence? UN Women, www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/faqs/types-of-violence.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Global Study on Homicide: GENDER-RELATED KILLINGS OF WOMEN AND GIRLS (FEMICIDE/FEMINICIDE). UNODC, 2022. www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/briefs/Femicide_brief_2023.pdf

World Health Organization. Violence Against Women. WHO, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-women.

UN Women. Femicide in 2024: Global estimates of intimate partner/family member femicides. United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2025/11/femicides-in-2024-global-estimates-of-intimate-partner-family-member-femicides.