As the Central American nation of Belize confronts a troubling upward trend in child sexual violence, public safety and child protection officials are rolling out targeted training to equip law enforcement and community members with the tools to stop abuse before it occurs. This week, officers based in southside Belize City gathered for specialized sessions focused on identifying and intervening in grooming, the manipulative process that predators rely on to build trust with a child and their family ahead of committing harm.
Carla Alvarez, the lead consultant leading the training, emphasized that predators intentionally target vulnerable children who lack consistent attention and emotional support at home. “When a child isn’t getting the love, care, and focus they need from their own household, an older adult who steps in to give them that attention can make the child feel seen and valued,” Alvarez explained. She went on to challenge a common dangerous misconception that keeps many families vulnerable: “We cannot fall into the trap of assuming that just because someone is a family member, a child is automatically safe around them.”
Data from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) underscores the urgency of this public awareness push, revealing that roughly 90 percent of child sexual abusers are already known to their victims. Family members account for an alarming share of these perpetrators, contradicting the widespread myth that most abuse is committed by strangers.
Mental health counselor Aimee Jex is urging parents and guardians to actively monitor changes in their children’s behavior to spot early warning signs. “We have to be intentional about noticing irregular behaviors and shifting patterns that something is wrong,” Jex said. She also stressed that accountability must always fall on the perpetrator, not the child: “The child is never to blame, because a child cannot consent to harm from an adult.”
A full deep dive into key warning signs of grooming and community-led strategies to hold abusers accountable will air during News 5 Live’s 6 p.m. broadcast this evening, as Belize works to break the culture of silence that experts say enables predators to continue harming children.