If you're a woman serving in any of the law enforcement agencies under the country's National Security apparatus, your professional life and carrier development are on the way to becoming less stressful, and more equitable. That's because the Ministry of National Security has launched the first-ever Women, Peace and Security Agenda for the Security Forces in Belize.
It's a group of gender-aware policies designed to remove any form of sexism, prejudice, or discrimination against the country's female law enforcement officers. The main idea behind the agenda is to place women officers on equal footing as their male counterparts.
According to Government, the agenda aims to, quote, "empower women as equal partners in the development of a prosperous and stable Belize, especially in achieving our national security goals". End quote.
It was launched virtually this morning, and with the help of the Government Press Office, here's what the Minister of National Security had to say about agenda:
Hon. Michael Peyrefitte - Minister of National Security
"The Government of Belize supports the implementation of the first-ever Women Peace and Security Agenda for the security forces of Belize. Through this initiative, we aim to promote gender equality, women's empowerment, and women's rights in our internal actions, as these are the core of our values. Investing in women's empowerment, is not only a question of fairness, as economic gains from empowering women are substantial. Gender equality is a pre-requisite for peace, security, justice, and sustainable development, all of which positively influence our global, regional, and national economies. Belize, therefore, will actively promote gender mainstreaming as a key strategy, together with gender balance, and specific actions, to achieve gender equality, and women's empowerment in all areas of national security, by ensuring the integration of a gender perspective throughout all policy frameworks. Within this women's peace and security agenda, there are 3 main priorities. Firstly, we have put emphasis on our efforts to increase women's participation and leadership within the security forces. It is important to ensure that women can equally and equitably participate in all facets of the security sector."
"Secondly, we have prioritized action against sexual and gender-based violence in the security forces. We also stress the importance of training personnel on preventing and eliminating sexual exploitation, discrimination, and abuse within the ranks. Thirdly, we have prioritized our work to promote proactive policies for women's empowerment within the security forces."
A government press release on the agenda says that it is in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, and it also supports Belize's national security goals and its Horizon 2030 commitments.
