It has now been six months since Belizean lawmakers passed what was billed as urgent, life-saving reform to fill critical gaps in domestic violence protection, but the policy has yet to be implemented, leaving survivors still exposed to harm during after-hours periods when risk is highest. The stalled reform emerged directly from a national tragedy that shook the Central American nation in late 2025, when a brutal act of domestic violence claimed three innocent lives.
In October 2025, 35-year-old Angelita Magana, her 6-year-old son Tishan Godoy, and 17-year-old daughter Shadia Magana were killed when Magana’s former partner Francisco Godoy set their home ablaze. The attack came just days after Godoy was released on bail facing charges of rape and repeated domestic abuse against Magana. Magana, who had repeatedly expressed fear for her life, had attempted to secure an emergency restraining order to keep Godoy away, but the courts were closed for the weekend, leaving her with no immediate legal protection. All three victims died in the fire, along with Godoy.
In a moving tribute shared shortly after the tragedy, Magana’s cousin Britney Soliz remembered the family as loving and respectful. “She was always a good mom to her children; she gave them love and took care of them. Her children grew up with a lot of love. Her daughter Shadia was a girl who, likewise, received love from her mom, and she was very respectful. The boy was also very kind and respectful,” Soliz said in a 2025 interview. Soliz also recalled that Magana had repeatedly sought help to escape her abuser, but was turned away time and again when official services were closed outside regular court hours. “She tried everything to keep the man from approaching her, but well, they didn’t pay attention,” Soliz added.
The tragedy sparked immediate public outcry, and by November 2025, Belizean lawmakers fast-tracked two amendment bills — the Justices of the Peace (Amendment) Bill and the Domestic Violence (Amendment) Bill — designed to close this dangerous gap in protection. Under the new framework, trained senior Justices of the Peace (JPs) would be authorized to issue emergency 72-hour protection orders outside of court operating hours, granting survivors immediate legal safety when courts are closed for weekends, holidays, or after regular business hours. The legislation was widely hailed as a critical, practical reform that would prevent similar future tragedies.
But six months later, as of May 2026, the new system has yet to be activated. The rollout is stalled at the recruitment and training stage for eligible JPs, according to Adrian “Danny” Madrid, president of Belize’s Association of Justices of the Peace. Madrid explained that the strict eligibility requirements written into the new law have created an unexpected shortage of qualified candidates.
Currently, Belize has more than 3,000 active JPs nationwide, but only a small fraction qualify for the new emergency protection role. To be eligible, candidates must hold senior JP status — which itself requires 10 years of service as a regular JP — plus an additional five years of experience as a senior JP, bringing the total required experience to 15 years. Candidates must also hold a clean criminal record, requirements that officials say were put in place to reflect the sensitive nature of the work.
Madrid noted that the narrow eligibility pool has slowed recruitment dramatically. “We have over three thousand JPs in the country. We don’t have that much senior JPs, because you have to be a JP for ten years before you can be appointed a senior JP. And now this act is asking that you have to have five years’ experience as a senior justice of the peace. So it makes it even harder,” he said.
Once accepted, eligible candidates will complete specialized training led by the Ministry of Human Development and the Attorney General’s Ministry before they can begin issuing orders. Madrid has appealed to all qualified senior JPs to step forward to fill the gaps, emphasizing that the role is critical to saving lives, most often on weekends when magistrate courts are closed and risk of harm spikes. “We will be able to sign that document and arraign the person immediately. We don’t have to wait for the magistrate. We don’t have to wait until Monday,” Madrid said. “We’re trying our best to deal with it, to have it work. So we’re appealing to our senior JPs who have more than five years experience. Do not be afraid, because you have the protection from the police and from the law.”
Under the current rolling plan, officials aim to train 10 senior JPs for Belize district, and five additional JPs for each of the country’s remaining districts. If recruitment continues to fall short of the needed numbers, government officials are considering a policy adjustment to lower the required years of senior JP experience to expand the pool of eligible candidates. For now, however, survivors of domestic abuse across Belize remain without the promised after-hours emergency protection, leaving a life-saving reform unfulfilled six months after the tragedy that prompted its creation. Investigative reporter Britney Gordon contributed this report for News Five.