On March 7th, 2019 the Office of the Special Envoy in partnership with the National AIDS Commission, and with the technical assistance of the Equality and  Justice Alliance (EJA), represented by the Human Dignity Trust, hosted the first public forum entitled Hate Crimes Legislation Globally: Objectives, Benefits, and Experiences at the Best Western Plus Belize Biltmore Plaza. 

 

It was the first time that such a forum was held to provide participants with an overview of hate crimes, what constitutes a hate crime and the creation of hate crime legislation in developed countries. 

Among those who spoke at the Forum included Hon. Laura Longsworth, Chairperson of the National AIDs Commission, Ms. Grazia Careccia from Human Dignity Trust and the Equality and Justice Alliance, His Lordship Honorable Kenneth Benjamin, Chief Justice of Belize, Prof. James Chalmers, a Regius Chair of Law and a member of the EJA, Ms. Lisa Shoman, Attorney at Law, and Mr. Kevin Arthurs, Vice President of the Human Rights Commission.

  

During the plenary session, participants shared their experiences, acknowledged the need for legislation and pledged their support for legislation related to discrimination and hate crime. The Forum was moderated by Ms. Judith Alpuche, Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Human Development, Social Transformation and Poverty Alleviation.