As Belize enters its eighth month without a serving national ombudsman, the country’s only woman to ever hold the accountability-focused role is speaking out about the critical responsibilities of the position and the non-negotiable traits any successful occupant must bring to the job.
Cynthia Pitts made history as Belize’s first and only female ombudsman, serving a three-year term from 2009 to 2012. Far from the sedentary bureaucratic role some might assume, she describes the post as a hands-on position that demands constant engagement with marginalized communities across the country, persistent scrutiny of public officials, and a willingness to challenge powerful government departments when citizens’ rights are violated. In her three years in office, Pitts handled hundreds of public complaints, many of which put her in direct opposition to sitting political leaders. She now says that for the ombudsman’s office to fulfill its core purpose as a check on state power, it must remain independent, unflinching in the face of pressure, and rooted in unwavering personal integrity.
Pitts shared one early example of her hands-on approach while advocating for citizens caught up in bureaucratic land disputes, recalling how she pushed land management agencies to cover living and travel costs for displaced residents forced to repeatedly travel across the country to resolve their claims. “You really have to be strong and independent if you really want to serve your citizens,” she emphasized in a recent interview.
Contrary to common assumptions, Pitts notes that complaints against law enforcement, not land disputes, made up the bulk of the cases she handled during her tenure – and these cases often required extraordinary flexibility and commitment outside standard working hours. “My friends used to say, ‘Why you have these people coming to your house at two in the morning?’” she recalled. “Some grandmother would call and say, ‘They have my grandson locked up,’ and so on and so on. And then you go. The police don’t think you will go, you know? And that’s the kind of job. When you took on the job, you knew what you were getting into.” On multiple occasions, she even used her personal vehicle to transport detained individuals who needed medical care when police had no available transport.
Pitts stressed that unwavering integrity and independence are non-negotiable for the role, regardless of political pressure. During her term, she frequently faced pushback from politicians who objected to her impartial investigations. “I have experienced politicians telling me, ‘That is the thing with you. You, this and you that.’ And I would say, ‘But I am not a politician. You are the politician, but I am not.’ And so I deal with anybody who comes. I don’t care which party you are from,” she said.
Pitts’ reflections come at a time when Belize has been left without an ombudsman for nearly eight months. The vacancy opened in late 2025, when former ombudsman Major Gilbert Swaso was notified on Christmas Eve that his contract would not be renewed. To date, the government has not named a permanent replacement, leaving the country without its key independent accountability institution for citizens seeking redress against state misconduct.
This report is adapted from a transcribed broadcast evening newscast, with original Kriol language renderings preserved in their standard spelling form.