Special Envoy calls for a National Sex Offenders Registry

By William Ysaguirre (Freelance Writer)

BELIZE CITY, Mon. May 18, 2026

   The growing number of cases of rape, sexual abuse and child abuse which are brought before the courts, represents just a fraction of the increasing incidents of gender-based violence which go unreported, prompting the Special Envoy for the Development of Families and Children, H.E. Rossana Briceño to issue an urgent call for a National Sex Offenders Registry to be established in Belize.

   In a public statement last Saturday, Briceño declared that “the identities of convicted sexual offenders should never remain hidden, while women and children remain vulnerable to sexual abuse, exploitation, and violence from the very institutions entrusted with safeguarding them.” She went on to state, “The growing number of allegations involving individuals in positions of authority, including educators and police officers, has deepened public outrage and intensified the urgent national demand for greater accountability, transparency, and stronger protections against these heinous crimes.”

   “A National Sex Offenders Registry is therefore not only necessary, but critical to protecting children by empowering families and communities with information and preventing repeat offenses,” she said, adding that “Every child has the right to feel safe at all times, especially within the environments designed to nurture and protect them.”