Carib Scope

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  • Audit Office Invoked The Constitution in Audit into Defence Spending

    Audit Office Invoked The Constitution in Audit into Defence Spending

    A high-stakes value-for-money investigation into Belize’s national defence and coast guard spending is now underway, after the country’s top auditor invoked constitutional authority to overcome initial access blocks from government officials. As of August 13, 2026, the Audit Department has already collected 15 full boxes of financial records, with review teams working around the clock to digitize every document to mitigate the growing risk of evidence going missing amid ongoing administrative irregularities.

    The probe centers on a critical question: have public funds earmarked for the Belize Defence Force (BDF) and the country’s Coast Guard been allocated and spent in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements? The investigation hit an early impasse when defense officials refused to hand over requested documentation, citing national security restrictions on sensitive financial information. That block was broken when Auditor General Maria Rodriguez formally invoked constitutional powers granted to her office to compel access to all required records, clearing the way for the audit to move forward.

    Deputy Auditor General Edeldi Ayala confirmed that audit teams are currently prioritizing digitization of every collected record. This step is specifically designed to preserve evidence, after the investigation revealed a pattern of missing documents linked to weak oversight and lax administrative practices across relevant government agencies. In a revealing disclosure, Rodriguez shared that one serving official has already admitted to shredding documents specifically requested for this defence spending audit. She drew a parallel to a 2017-2018 investigation into the Golden Haven Rest Home, where a senior supervisor destroyed key financial records during that audit, highlighting that this is not an isolated incident.

    Under Belize’s existing financial regulations, only the Accountant General holds legal authority to approve the destruction of any government financial records. Moreover, national law mandates that most core financial documents must be retained for a minimum of 45 years, making the admitted destruction of requested records a clear violation of established governance rules.

    Rodriguez also outlined longstanding gaps in Belize’s financial compliance framework that have allowed irregularities to persist. She noted that chief executive officers (CEOs) of government agencies serve as the primary accounting officers responsible for preventing conflicts of interest during public contract procurement. Under existing rules, any official with a potential conflict must formally declare it and recuse themselves from all related decision-making. However, Rodriguez explained that her office often faces complete silence when it reports compliance failures directly to these CEOs, with no corrective action taken internally.

    She further pointed out a structural flaw in current oversight: the existing system requires the executive branch to issue financial penalties to its own members, a process that lacks independent enforcement. By comparison, Rodriguez noted that many international regulatory frameworks impose financial penalties directly on individual CEOs in cases of proven fraud or severe non-compliance, creating a far stronger deterrent against financial misconduct.

    At present, audit review teams continue their detailed examination of the collected documentation, with two core priorities guiding their work: confirming that all goods and services paid for with public defence funds were actually delivered, and verifying that those resources are being used to support the operational needs of Belize’s security forces. The ongoing audit comes as former official Lloyd Jones has publicly claimed that rank-and-file BDF soldiers are losing confidence in their senior leadership, adding another layer of public scrutiny to the investigation.

  • ‘ALL OF US OR NONE OF US!’ Social Partners draw line on Cabinet meeting over BTL-Smart deal

    ‘ALL OF US OR NONE OF US!’ Social Partners draw line on Cabinet meeting over BTL-Smart deal

    A growing procedural standoff has emerged around Belize’s controversial proposed acquisition of Speednet Communications by Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL), after the nation’s four primary Social Partner groups rejected a government invitation that excluded two of their members from an upcoming Cabinet discussion.

    The Belizean government initially extended invitations only to the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) for a scheduled Cabinet meeting on August 13 to discuss the $80 million acquisition deal. Speednet, the target of the proposed buyout, operates the popular SMART telecommunications brand, a major competitor to state-linked BTL in Belize’s domestic telecom market.

    In response to the selective invitation, all four Social Partner organizations — which also include the Belize Network of Non-Governmental Organizations (BNN) and the National Evangelical Association of Belize (NEAB) — released a joint statement reaffirming their longstanding collective approach to reviewing the controversial acquisition. The group made clear that any meeting with Cabinet must include official representation from all four entities, framing the stance with the principle of “all of us or none of us.”

    Crucially, the coalition has not refused to engage with government leaders entirely. Instead, the groups have set two non-negotiable conditions for their participation: full collective representation at the table, and the release of key documentation that the coalition requested weeks earlier but has yet to receive. Among the outstanding materials are audited financial statements for both companies and independent third-party valuation reports for the proposed $80 million transaction. The Social Partners also emphasized that they will require a reasonable window to review the requested materials thoroughly before any formal discussions with Cabinet can take place.

    The coalition also noted that it welcomes the Public Utilities Commission’s willingness to open additional dialogue on the deal, but pointed to the formal requests outlined in their August 6 statement as the foundation for any future stakeholder engagement with the regulator.

    Twenty-four hours after the joint position was released, the BCCI issued a separate public clarification to address growing public speculation that the chamber had outright rejected the August 13 meeting invitation. The organization explained that both its president and chief executive officer had pre-existing long-term commitments as part of an official Belizean trade delegation traveling to El Salvador, which will remain out of the country through August 14. The delegation includes both public and private sector representatives, and is in El Salvador to sign the new Belize-El Salvador Partial Scope Agreement, a trade deal designed to strengthen bilateral commercial ties and open new market opportunities for Belizean businesses.

    The BCCI emphasized that it had only requested the August 13 meeting be rescheduled, and rejected all claims that the request reflected an unwillingness to engage with Cabinet on the acquisition. The chamber confirmed it remains fully committed to holding comprehensive consultations with government leaders, and maintains that productive dialogue can be held before Cabinet issues a final decision on the deal. It added that it stands ready to meet alongside the other three Social Partner groups for Cabinet’s next scheduled deliberation on the acquisition on August 18, at a time that works for all parties.

    The BCCI’s separate clarification aligns closely with the collective position the coalition released a day earlier: all four groups are willing to negotiate with Cabinet, but only when they can attend as a unified bloc and have time to review the critical transaction information they have requested.

    The current procedural impasse sits within a much larger national controversy over BTL’s planned acquisition of its largest private sector competitor. BTL has publicly defended the deal on commercial grounds, arguing that it holds substantial excess capacity on its existing national telecom network. The company claims absorbing Speednet’s roughly 100,000 subscribers would allow it to eliminate redundant infrastructure and cut unnecessary operating costs, benefits that it argues could be passed on to consumers.

    By contrast, the Social Partner coalition has centered its scrutiny on a series of pressing public interest concerns, including risks to long-term market competition, lack of transparency around the deal terms, gaps in governance, and insufficient regulatory oversight of the proposed transaction. In an update Wednesday, the BCCI confirmed that none of these substantive concerns have been resolved, and the coalition continues to push for full, detailed responses to each of their questions. For now, however, the immediate deadlock centers on a simpler question: who will earn a seat at the Cabinet table, and will the Social Partners get the information and review time they are demanding before the government moves forward with a final decision on the acquisition.

  • Belize River Valley Fish Kill: ‘No Single Source Yet’

    Belize River Valley Fish Kill: ‘No Single Source Yet’

    A weeks-long environmental crisis unfolding along the Belize River Valley has moved into its investigative phase, with Belize’s Department of the Environment (DOE) releasing key preliminary findings on Tuesday that shed light on what caused the widespread death of fish, turtles and crocodiles last week. According to top DOE officials, the confirmed root cause of the mass mortality event is hypoxia—dangerously low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water—driven by a combination of recent flooding and nutrient-heavy agricultural runoff into the river system.

    Chief Environmental Officer Anthony Mai told reporters that post-mortem examinations led by marine biologist Dr. Abel Carias have already ruled out infectious disease as a cause. Key to that elimination is the fact that the die-off impacted multiple distinct species rather than being isolated to a single population, a pattern that would be expected if disease were the trigger. The low oxygen conditions, Mai explained, also account for the deaths of semi-aquatic species like turtles and crocodiles: when water becomes completely anoxic, it releases toxic hydrogen sulfide gas that accumulates at the water surface, where these animals surface to breathe.

    Water quality sampling conducted across the affected stretch of the river pinpointed the most severely impacted zone: a segment running between St Paul’s Bank and Grace Bank, where dissolved oxygen levels dropped to the lowest recorded readings and fish mortality hit its peak. Elevated chlorophyll-A concentrations in these samples confirmed that nutrient runoff from surrounding agricultural lands sparked a harmful algal bloom, which in turn depletes oxygen as the algae grows and decomposes.

    In the wake of the fish kill, public and regulatory attention quickly turned to Santander Sugar, a major local agricultural operation, after community members raised questions about whether drainage canals on the company’s property connect to tributaries that feed into the Belize River. However, the DOE emphasized Tuesday that no conclusive evidence has emerged to link the mass mortality event to Santander Sugar or any other single source of pollution.

    Satellite imagery of the area does confirm that severe flooding inundated Santander Sugar’s farmlands and neighboring agricultural properties in the days immediately before the fish kill was reported. This widespread flooding pushed massive volumes of runoff water directly into the Belize River, carrying accumulated agricultural nutrients with it. “That large amount of water from this field went into the river and may have definitely contributed to the change in the aquatic ecosystem, the increased algae, the low dissolved oxygen, et cetera,” Mai noted.

    So far, the investigation has found that Santander Sugar has cooperated completely with regulatory teams conducting the probe. Officials also confirmed that Santander Sugar is far from the only agricultural operation in the region with drainage canals connected to the affected river system, meaning multiple landowners could have contributed to the nutrient buildup that sparked the bloom.

    To rule out additional contributing factors, Belize’s Pesticide Control Board has already completed an inspection of the agrochemicals used by Santander Sugar. Data from that inspection will be cross-referenced with results of chemical analysis and sediment sampling currently being carried out by Belizean environmental experts across the impacted river stretch.

    Most full test results from the multi-agency probe are expected to be released by the end of this week. Mai highlighted that the investigation has already stood out as a major example of cross-institutional collaboration, bringing 15 separate local, national and academic agencies to the table. Partner organizations include the University of Belize, the Belize Agricultural Health Authority, and the national Fisheries Department, among others.

    In the interim, research teams are continuing continuous water quality monitoring along the entire length of the river. Officials warn that contaminated water with low oxygen and residual toxins could impact residential communities located further downstream before it ultimately flows into the Caribbean Sea, making ongoing monitoring critical for protecting public and ecosystem health.

  • Unions Mobilize Against BTL-SMART Deal

    Unions Mobilize Against BTL-SMART Deal

    A growing wave of organized labor opposition to state-owned Belize Telemedia Limited’s planned takeover of Speednet Communications Limited, which operates under the brand name SMART, is set to translate into public demonstrations, escalating a months-long debate over the future of Belize’s telecommunications sector. The National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB), the country’s umbrella union body, has organized two coordinated actions to push back against the acquisition: a nationwide show of solidarity scheduled for Friday, August 14, where supporters are asked to wear black, followed by a large-scale public rally and demonstration on Tuesday, August 18.

    The shift to public protest marks a clear escalation of union pushback, moving the conversation from private negotiations and public calls for greater government transparency to open collective action. As of press time, the NTUCB had not released an official public statement confirming the demonstration, but internal correspondence from one of the country’s largest unions confirms its members will participate in the peaceful gathering. The Belize National Teachers’ Union (BNTU), an NTUCB affiliate, shared an August 12 memorandum addressed to administrators at all government and grant-aided educational institutions across Belize, confirming that its teachers will join the protest, alongside other affiliated unions. The memo, signed by BNTU National President Nadia Martin Caliz, notes that participating teachers will be unable to attend pre-scheduled professional development sessions on the day of the demonstration, and closes with the firm rallying cry: “We Shall NOT be Moved.”

    Multiple sources close to the NTUCB confirm that the body held a closed-door planning meeting on August 11, where a resolution opposing the acquisition was introduced and passed unanimously by attending delegates. No official public statement outlining the meeting’s outcomes had been issued to media as of press time.

    The growing labor opposition comes after a key union reversed its earlier position on the deal. The Belize Communications Workers Union (BCWU), which represents all workers at BTL and previously backed the acquisition earlier this year, announced in an August 10 statement that 84 percent of its voting membership now opposes the transaction in its current form. The reversal followed an emergency membership meeting held on August 6, where members revisited the union’s stance after core concerns remained unaddressed by BTL and government officials.

    Earlier this year, after a January 22 virtual town hall with BTL leadership, a majority of BCWU members signaled support for the acquisition, but that approval was explicitly conditional on the union’s outstanding concerns being resolved. Those unresolved demands include guarantees for job security for existing BTL employees, full transparency around the financial costs and long-term economic implications of the merger, clarification of procurement and regulatory approval processes, open governance and public disclosure of deal terms, confirmation of whether SMART employees would be eligible for BCWU membership, and a commitment to a phased acquisition process that includes ongoing consultation with the NTUCB. To date, none of these demands have been met to the satisfaction of union leadership.

    In a public post to its official social media channels, the NTUCB called on all workers, union members, and concerned Belizean citizens to join the August 14 black-out solidarity action. “This is about more than two companies,” the post read. “It is about workers, consumers, competition, investment, and the future of telecommunications in Belize. Let us show that Belizeans are paying attention and that our voices matter when decisions are being made that affect our economy, our workers, and our country.”

  • Cabinet Rejects Proposed BTL-SMART Acquisition

    Cabinet Rejects Proposed BTL-SMART Acquisition

    BELIZE CITY – In a sudden and high-stakes policy decision released on August 13, 2026, Belize’s Cabinet has formally rejected a planned acquisition of SMART/Speednet by state-majority-owned telecom firm Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL), a move that comes directly in response to widespread organized labor pushback against the proposed merger.

    The official notice, distributed via a press statement immediately after the Cabinet’s closed-door deliberation, confirmed that the nation’s top governing body has withheld its approval for the controversial takeover. “After careful deliberation, it is Cabinet’s informed position that it does not support the proposed acquisition,” the statement read.

    As the release made clear, the Government of Belize, the Belize Social Security Board, and the general public of Belize hold a controlling majority stake in BTL. Given this public ownership structure, Cabinet officials emphasized that they bear a non-negotiable responsibility to conduct a rigorous, responsible review of all available data and stakeholder input before greenlighting any major industry transaction.

    The government’s reversal of the proposed acquisition comes on the heels of growing labor unrest that was set to culminate in a mass public demonstration next week. The Belize National Teachers Union (BNTU) had recently confirmed it would join the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) in the planned protest, scheduled to take place on August 18 in the nation’s capital. BNTU President Nadia Caliz had publicly called on union members to mobilize against the deal, framing the protest not just as a fight against the acquisition, but as a critical test of whether the government prioritizes public interests over private corporate gains.

    Industry analysts note that the blocked merger marks a significant win for organized labor in Belize, and sets a clear precedent for how major public-private sector transactions will be evaluated moving forward, especially when they impact key public infrastructure and consumer interests.

  • California visitor creates heritage travel initiative inspired by Barbados

    California visitor creates heritage travel initiative inspired by Barbados

    What began as a routine tropical vacation for California native Rufiena Jones in 2022 evolved into a life-altering mission that is redefining how members of the African diaspora engage with Caribbean history. What Jones expected to be a relaxing getaway quickly shifted when she uncovered a critical, under-shared chapter of African diaspora history rooted in Barbados — and left the island knowing she had to return to share that story with others.

    “The day I landed, I knew I was meant to come back, and I knew I was meant to bring other people with me,” Jones shared in an interview, reflecting on that first fateful trip. Now, on her eighth visit to the Caribbean island, Jones has turned that personal calling into the Sankofa Wellness Project, a heritage tourism initiative launched in 2022 that will soon rebrand to Sankofa Heritage Travel. Unlike standard beach-focused tourism, the project frames Barbados not just as a vacation destination, but as a vital stop for people of African descent seeking to reconnect with their ancestral history, cultural identity, and collective roots.

    Jones argues that Caribbean nations like Barbados are often overlooked by diaspora communities prioritizing West African countries such as Ghana and Senegal when tracing their ancestry — an oversight that leaves a major gap in understanding the full scope of the transatlantic slave trade and the cultures enslaved Africans built after crossing the Atlantic. “If we want to understand our past as descendants of Africa, we can’t leave the Caribbean out,” she explained. “We must come here. We must experience the culture here and hear the stories here because this is a major part of that history.”

    Before her first trip, Jones herself shared that same gap in knowledge. It wasn’t until she encountered an atlas two years before her first visit that she learned just how many enslaved Africans were trafficked to Barbados, a statistic rarely taught in mainstream education. Further research revealed that Barbados was one of Britain’s earliest and most influential slave societies, whose plantation system became a model that spread across the entire Caribbean. That discovery fundamentally reshaped her understanding of the island’s central role in Black Atlantic history.

    “I didn’t know Barbados had such a rich history,” she said. “We don’t necessarily learn that. So to be here, the way that it feels here, the way that I can feel and sense this deep, rich African connection… I know that there’s a story here that needs to be told that the diaspora needs to hear and engage with.”

    A former Fulbright scholar with nearly a year of teaching experience in Thailand, Jones has long viewed travel as a tool for cross-cultural understanding, but she says Barbados offered a unique, visceral connection she never found elsewhere. Though she emphasizes she is still learning and does not identify as a professional historian, Jones has identified distinct African influences woven into every layer of Barbadian life, from music and movement to language and community structures, that have persisted beneath centuries of British colonial rule.

    A lifelong dancer with decades of experience studying Afro-Cuban, Afro-Brazilian, Afro-Haitian, and traditional West African dance forms, Jones has centered that cultural insight into the itineraries she curates. The Sankofa project brings small groups of visitors to the island for key cultural events, including the annual Barbados Food and Rum Festival and Crop Over, a historic harvest festival that marks the end of the sugar cane growing season. Her programming blends guided historical tours, immersive community experiences, and cultural excursions designed to help participants deepen their understanding of their ancestral roots, with the Emancipation Day and Crop Over season featuring prominently in trip schedules due to its historical significance.

    Jones welcomed her first official group of 11 clients to Barbados in November 2025, alongside two representatives from the Barbados Association of Southern California who won their trips through Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.’s We Gatherin’ Southern California initiative. She returned earlier this year with three more California travelers to experience the 2025 Crop Over festival.

    Jones’ long-term vision extends far beyond Barbados. She hopes to grow the initiative into a interconnected travel network that links the Caribbean, West Africa, and African diaspora communities in the United States, including the Gullah Geechee people of South Carolina’s Lowcountry. “I want to keep expanding it,” she said. “I want to keep people coming to the Caribbean so that after that we can go to West Africa and see those cultural connections and then also go to the south of the United States… It’s one big story.”

  • Regering legt eerste voorstel voor looncorrectie ambtenaren op tafel

    Regering legt eerste voorstel voor looncorrectie ambtenaren op tafel

    On August 13, formal negotiations over wage corrections and additional compensation for civil servants and equivalent public sector workers entered a new, more intensive phase at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Suriname, after the government tabled its first formal proposal to union representatives. While the proposal marks a key milestone in ongoing discussions over public sector pay, no final agreement has been reached yet, with both sides set to continue intensive talks in the coming weeks to bridge gaps between competing priorities.

    High-level government officials led the discussions on the state’s side, including Marinus Bee, Minister of Internal Affairs; Adelien Wijnerman, Minister of Finance and Planning; and Raj Jadnanansing, Deputy Minister of Public Health, Welfare and Labor. The government’s negotiation body, chaired by Delano Landvreugd, also participated in the talks, alongside union representatives from two of the country’s largest labor federations, Ravaksur and CLO.

    The core goal of the negotiations is to improve the income position of public sector employees, a longstanding demand from labor groups. In structuring its opening proposal, the government has emphasized that it must balance this demand against the country’s existing public financial constraints. No details have been released to the public regarding the specific content or total scope of the government’s initial offer, to preserve the integrity of closed-door negotiations.

    Following the government’s presentation, union representatives put forward their own set of demands, priorities, and counter-proposals, all of which will be taken into account as talks move forward. Moving ahead, upcoming negotiation sessions will focus on reconciling two core competing priorities: the public sector workforce’s widespread call for meaningful income improvements, and the limited fiscal and economic space available to the government to implement new spending measures.

    Minister Bee stressed in a statement following the first session that the negotiation process remains ongoing and far from concluded. He confirmed that talks will continue at an accelerated pace in the coming period, with the shared end goal of reaching a consensus on a final package of wage adjustment and compensation measures that works for both the government and public sector employees.

  • STATEMENT: Honourable Dr. Cassandra Williams, Minister of State with Responsibility for Social Services, on the tragic death of Jerbiah Paul

    STATEMENT: Honourable Dr. Cassandra Williams, Minister of State with Responsibility for Social Services, on the tragic death of Jerbiah Paul

    Three weeks of collective hope across Dominica have given way to overwhelming national grief, after law enforcement confirmed the discovery of 16-year-old Jerbia Paul’s remains in the Capuchin region. In an official address to the nation, Dr. Cassandra Williams, Minister of State with oversight for Seniors Security, Children at Risk, Gender Affairs, and Persons with Disabilities, extended heartfelt condolences and solidarity to Paul’s family, friends, and all communities touched by the tragedy.

    For nearly 21 days, Paul’s disappearance gripped the country: her family held out for a safe return, local communities coordinated search efforts and shared appeals, and ordinary Dominicans joined in prayer for the missing teen. That collective hope has now shifted to mourning, prompting Dr. Williams to use this moment to confront a long-simmering national crisis that the tragedy has thrown into sharp relief: the urgent need to strengthen safeguards for girls and young women across the country.

    Dr. Williams emphasized that sexual abuse, exploitation, and gender-based violence can never be normalized, excused, hidden, or ignored in any society. “No child should live in fear of the adult entrusted to protect them,” she stated, rejecting the harmful, widespread cultural narrative that shifts blame for abuse onto child victims, rather than the adult perpetrators who exploit their vulnerability. “A child cannot be held responsible for being exploited. Adults have a duty to protect children, not prey upon their innocence, trust, and disadvantaged circumstances.”

    This collective responsibility to protect vulnerable youth falls on every segment of Dominican society, the minister argued. Parents and guardians must stay actively engaged in their children’s lives, watching for sudden shifts in behavior, relationships, or personal circumstances that may signal harm. Communities must resist the impulse to look away when red flags of abuse appear, while frontline stakeholders including teachers, healthcare workers, social service providers, faith leaders, and youth organizations must strengthen their commitment to identifying and reporting suspected abuse. Anyone who suspects a child is at risk must understand that silence only enables further harm, Dr. Williams stressed.

    Addressing directly the adult population of Dominica, Dr. Williams made clear that there is no justification for the sexual exploitation of children. No form of leverage—whether authority, money, gifts, transportation, housing, influence, or emotional manipulation—can ever justify sexual access to a minor. Existing Dominican law already requires people who become aware of suspected child sexual abuse to report the issue to authorities, and Dr. Williams urged all residents to take this legal and ethical obligation seriously.

    “Our girls and young women are not objects, not commodities to be exploited,” Dr. Williams said. “They are our daughters, sisters, students, and young citizens, entitled to grow up in safety, dignity, and freedom from violence. The responsibility to protect them, respect their boundaries, and reject exploitation rests on every adult around them.”

    The Ministry of Social Services will continue expanding its collaborative work with families, communities, schools, law enforcement, and partner institutions to strengthen child safeguarding systems, improve early identification of at-risk children, streamline reporting and referral mechanisms, and expand access to psychosocial support for vulnerable youth and their families. But Dr. Williams acknowledged that government action alone is not enough to reverse the culture of silence that enables abuse.

    “This moment demands collective responsibility and collective national introspection,” she said. “We must all ask what more we can do—whether as family members, community members, or as a nation—to spot vulnerability sooner, listen when children speak up, act quickly when warning signs emerge, and create a culture where perpetrators cannot hide behind fear, stigma, and silence.”

    Dr. Williams urged the public to give law enforcement the space and cooperation needed to conduct a full, impartial investigation into the circumstances of Paul’s death, calling on residents to avoid unsubstantiated speculation, the spread of unverified information, and commentary that could jeopardize the investigation or cause further harm to Paul’s grieving family. Anyone with information that could assist the probe was strongly encouraged to share it directly with police.

    Even in the depths of this national grief, Dr. Williams called for the tragedy to ignite a renewed national commitment to ending child exploitation. “Not one more girl should suffer because adults stayed silent. Not one more child should be exploited because warning signs were ignored. Not one more young woman should be made to believe that violence and abuse are an inevitable part of life,” she said. “We must speak out. We must report. We must intervene. And above all, we must protect our girls and women.”

    In a direct message to the girls and young women of Dominica, Dr. Williams reaffirmed their inherent worth and right to safety: “Your life has value. Your body belongs to you. You deserve to be safe. You deserve to be heard. You deserve to grow, learn, and chase your dreams without fear of violence, exploitation, or abuse.”

    The Ministry of Social Services has made free counselling and psychosocial support services available to all individuals, families, and communities affected by the tragedy. Those in need of support are encouraged to contact the Department of Social Services to access care from qualified counsellors and psychologists, which will remain available throughout the grieving process.

    Closing her address, Dr. Williams extended the full compassion of the Dominican government and people to Paul’s family, amid what she called an unfathomable period of grief and pain. “May God strengthen you, and may you find comfort in the support of your family, your community, and an entire nation that has stood with you throughout this painful search,” she said. “May this tragedy awaken in all of us a deeper, unwavering commitment to protecting our children and young women.”

  • The Green Machine is Activating Against Proposed BTL-SMART Acquisition

    The Green Machine is Activating Against Proposed BTL-SMART Acquisition

    In a move that amplifies growing public opposition to a controversial corporate takeover, the Belize National Teachers Union (BNTU) has pledged its full organizational backing for a mass demonstration scheduled for next Tuesday, August 18, 2026, opposing the proposed acquisition of Speednet (SMART) by Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL).

    BNTU President Nadia Caliz has issued a direct call to all union-affiliated teachers across the country to join the public protest, urging educators to make their widespread dissatisfaction with the proposed deal visible to national leaders and decision-makers. Caliz confirmed that the union’s decision to join the demonstration aligns with an official directive issued by the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB), which has called on all of its affiliated labor organizations and their thousands of members to participate in the coordinated action.

    Caliz positioned the upcoming protest as a critical defining moment that will reveal which interests the nation’s government ultimately prioritizes. “The assets of this country belong to us, the Belizean people,” Caliz stated in her address to union members. “Our elected officials are only temporary custodians of the public good. That means every major decision they make must serve the best interests of all Belizeans, not the narrow gains of a small privileged minority.”

    She went on to frame the demonstration as a rare opportunity for ordinary voters to reassert their authority over elected representatives. “If you want real change, if you want to show our elected leaders that they hold office to serve us, not their own private interests, this is our moment to make that clear,” Caliz added. “Change never comes if we stay silent and do nothing.”

    In an official memo distributed to education stakeholders this past Wednesday, the BNTU formally notified partners that its members would be unable to participate in previously scheduled professional development activities set for August 18, as educators will instead join the national protest. Caliz closed by reaffirming the core message of the labor movement’s action: “It is critical that our national leaders pay close attention to what is happening here. They all hold power only because the people of Belize voted them into office, and they must answer to the public that put them there.”

    The planned demonstration marks one of the most significant coordinated labor actions in Belize in recent years, bringing together multiple unions across sectors to challenge a major corporate and policy decision that opponents argue runs counter to national public interest.

  • Saint Lucia’s TVET centres echo regional skills call

    Saint Lucia’s TVET centres echo regional skills call

    At a recent regional education meeting hosted in Guyana, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has made a bold, unified push to prioritize technical and vocational education and training (TVET) across member nations, framing skills development as a cornerstone of sustainable, future-ready economic growth.

    The gathering, known as the Council for Human and Social Development meeting on Education, brought together education ministers and senior officials from across CARICOM member states, with Saint Lucia’s Education Minister Danny Butcher leading his country’s delegation. Convened under the overarching theme “Educating for life, purpose and Caribbean progress,” the meeting centered on how regional education systems can adapt to fast-shifting global economic conditions.

    In her opening address to attendees on Wednesday, CARICOM Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett doubled down on a urgent call to refocus regional education policy around expanding accessible, high-quality TVET programming. Dr. Barnett argued that as the global economic and technological landscape grows more complex and evolves at an accelerating pace, regional education systems cannot afford to stick to outdated frameworks. All learners, regardless of age, must be equipped with the practical and critical competencies needed to succeed personally and drive collective national and regional progress, she emphasized.

    Dr. Barnett urged ministers to acknowledge the rapidly growing demand for technical, vocational and digital skills across the Caribbean’s evolving industries. This growing demand, she noted, creates a unique opening to close the long-standing gap between education outputs and labor market needs, forging stronger ties between skills development, training and gainful employment.

    “Technical and Vocational Education and Training is equipping our citizens with the practical and critical competencies needed to navigate an economy where careers, technologies and even industries are evolving at an unprecedented pace,” Dr. Barnett told delegates. She added that TVET is now widely recognized as a strategic investment that boosts both regional economic resilience and global competitiveness. Beyond employability, TVET builds the core skills required to advance digital transformation across the region, support the shift to a green, climate-resilient economy, and drive the innovation and productivity gains that underpin long-term sustainable growth, she explained.

    Against this regional push, Saint Lucia has emerged as a leading example for other CARICOM nations to follow, with a coordinated national TVET strategy that stretches back more than 15 years. The country laid the foundational framework for its national initiative in 2007, when it established the Saint Lucia Council for Technical Vocational Education and Training to oversee systemic development. Most recently, in 2023, Saint Lucia restructured four existing secondary schools—Anse Ger Secondary School, Grande Riviere Secondary School, Piaye Secondary School and Stanley Jon Odlum Memorial Secondary School—into dedicated regional TVET hubs to expand access to hands-on training.

    According to Saint Lucia’s Department of Education, a central objective of these newly converted centers is to build deep, mutually beneficial partnerships with local industries, aligning education and training curricula with the needs of both local communities and the formal national education system. The model has already drawn praise across the region, aligning directly with Dr. Barnett’s vision for a more skills-focused Caribbean education landscape that can deliver inclusive, long-term progress.