The Children's Parliament was held at the National Assembly Building on Saturday to coincide with World Children's Day. 31 students acted as members of the House of Representatives and 13 as the Senate. The students learn the procedures of parliament and prove that young people should have a meaningful say in democracy. They took over the chambers and played the roles of their respective representatives. And this year, sitting in the top seat was a female prime minister. Here is a snippet of the Children's House of Representatives as they debated the Criminal Justice (Exploitation of Children in the Commission of Offences) Bill.
Participant
"Mr. Speaker I rise to oppose the bill being proposed, because I believe we need to tackle the root cause of crime to prevent a problem from occurring. This bill merely covers one factor of the reason for the involvement argued in criminal activity and this pertains to the influence of an adult. This bill was made for the youth and should them focus on the youth. I would like to remind the ruling party to keep in consideration the amount of such cases in Belize when compared to major factors."
"I look at this bill and I think, what does this really solve, because the real concern is why, why did it happen in the first place. But additionally what do we aim to achieve from jailing more people and what position do kids find themselves in that they can't say no. These are all questions to be considered, but my focus today is on one major factor: have we thought about the amount of violence that our youth is exposed to on a daily basis."
Participant
"This bill is brought about to ensure that our children are not being coerce into such crimes. Channel 6 has reported that from January to November of this year 2021, Belize has suffered from 90 murders; 9 of these reported to being children under the age of 18. Just 3 days ago on the news it was reported that 17 year old Camron Hernandez had succumb to the bullet wounds, yet another child, another leader of our generation taking away from his family. It is very important that these children learn and know their rights and how this bill act behind these rights."
Participant
"Youths are being influence by adults to engage in criminal activities. The bill criminal justice: exploitation of the children 2021 is a go to be an act to protect these children who are falling prey into the hands of adults recruiting them into the crime and violence we see today. As a youth minister myself, I have become interested in many things, because my mind is still growing and I am still young. Teenagers much like myself are still figuring out what they want to do, but having these crime compelling adults who are to be seen as the more knowledgeable ones recruiting these children, inviting them into such a destructive environment has a great damper in our country."
