The National Women’s Commission (NWC) in partnership with the Women’s and Family Support Department within the Ministry of Human Development Families and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, and with support from the Spotlight Initiative held a signing ceremony with Private Sector Businesses who pledged their ongoing support to safe houses in Belize.
Safe houses provide an important service to victims and survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and other forms of gender-based violence. There is an urgent need for these safe houses to be provided with the support for their sustained upkeep as they are key to aiding
survivors of gender-based violence when they are displaced and in need of a safe space for themselves and their children. The NWC lead the strengthening and enhancement of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for safe houses to improve the quality of services provided to survivors during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Training of three (3) Safe House shelter staff and volunteers has been conducted to support the implementation and roll-out of these new SOPs and improve services.
The National Women’s Commission, the Government of Belize and Spotlight Initiative thank Belize Water Services Limited, F.T. Williams & Associate, FAST Constuction, Hon. Oscar Mira and Councillor Javier Castellanos who have committed their support to these safe houses and encourage other businesses to commit and support this important initiative as we work in partnership to support victims of gender-based violence.
About the Spotlight Initiative:
The Spotlight Initiative is a global initiative of the United Nations which has received generous support from the European Union to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls by 2030. The Initiative is addressing legislative and policy gaps, strengthening institutions, promoting gender-equitable attitudes, and providing quality services for survivors. Interventions are also strengthening systems for collecting data on violence against women and girls.
