Tonight, the former Ombudsman is raising serious questions about the welfare and legal status of nine young Haitian girls in Belize. Retired Major Gilbert Swaso has gone public with shocking allegations of human trafficking and major government inaction.
The story began back in mid-2023, when nine minor-aged Haitian girls entered Belize. According to official documents, their arrival came at a time when the Belizean government had an active moratorium on visas for Haitian nationals. There were no official documents from the Haitian government authorizing their movement or relocation.
Somehow, according to the former Ombudsman, the children ended up living in Spanish Lookout under the care of Canadian nationals connected to an organization called Beauty Out of Ashes. But concerns quickly mounted. UN agencies, including UNICEF and the UNHCR, formally filed a complaint with the Ombudsman's office. They pointed to serious red flags: a complete lack of legal guardianship documents, unverified immigration status, which are signs consistent with human trafficking, and distress among the children, who appeared fearful of state officials. Former Ombudsman Swaso states that credible evidence pointed to a strong possibility the girls were victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation.
Despite these alarms, state agencies he says dragged their feet. Swaso says that before his office got involved, government authorities had taken insufficient action. He reveals that over two years after the girls arrived, an independent Best Interests Determination had still never been completed by authorities.
Then, he says the investigation ground to a sudden halt. Swaso's tenure as Ombudsman ended on December 31st, 2025, leaving the office vacant.
Now, Swaso is taking direct action to prevent the case from dying. He has filed a Freedom of Information Act request to Attorney General Anthony Sylvestre, demanding clear answers. He insists that administrative transitions and a vacant constitutional post must not leave vulnerable children without protection or justice.
The government now has 14 days to respond to his request-we'll see if they do so.
