Carib Scope

分类： society

  • From Lock-Up to Lift-Up

    From Lock-Up to Lift-Up

    Scheduled to launch in April 2026, a groundbreaking partnership between the Government of Belize and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is set to reshape the nation’s approach to supporting vulnerable and justice-involved young people, centered on a full transformation of the New Beginnings Youth Development Centre.

    Officially named the “Strengthening Youth Governance and Institutional Resilience for Peacebuilding in Belize”, the initiative moves beyond the traditional punitive model of youth detention that has long perpetuated cycles of reoffending. Instead, it prioritizes a forward-looking, person-centered framework that shifts the system’s core focus from locking young people up to guiding them toward stable, productive futures. The project aligns directly with Belize’s ongoing national justice reform efforts under the PACE Justice Programme, which has advocated for diversion practices and rehabilitation over harsh, mandatory penalties for young offenders.

    At the center of the reform is the overhaul of the New Beginnings Youth Development Centre, where a decades-old “lock-up” punitive model will be replaced by programming rooted in trauma-informed care, community reintegration, and long-term life skills building. The core goal of the transformation is to break the intergenerational cycle of offending that leaves young people trapped in the justice system, providing them with targeted support to get back on track and contribute to their communities.

    Backed by BZD $100,000 in catalytic seed funding from UNDP, the initiative will roll out a suite of evidence-based programming and structural improvements. Key components include enhanced individualized case management for every young person at the facility, customized transition plans to support smooth re-entry into community life, ongoing aftercare to prevent relapse, specialized trauma-informed training for all facility staff, expanded mental health counseling services, and updated, stricter safeguards to protect the rights and well-being of residents.

    Thea Garcia-Ramirez, Belize’s Minister of Human Development, emphasized that the reform is a long-overdue shift to building public systems that actually serve young people, rather than punish them. The initiative prioritizes marginalized youth, including those in state care and those who have had interactions with the criminal justice system.

    Amilin Mendez, UNDP’s representative for the project, summed up the core philosophy behind the work: the initiative is not just about managing at-risk youth – it is about building systems that believe in young people’s capacity to change and grow, creating lasting positive outcomes for both individuals and the entire nation.

  • Police Welfare Association focused on safeguarding members finances amidst rising global costs, says chairman

    Police Welfare Association focused on safeguarding members finances amidst rising global costs, says chairman

    Against a backdrop of global soaring living costs that are straining household budgets across nearly every sector, the Police Welfare Association (PWA) of the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force has outlined a bold new agenda focused on easing financial pressure on its members and strengthening institutional partnership during its new executive term.

    Sergeant David Andrew Jr., newly appointed chairman of the PWA, laid out the organization’s core priorities in a recent public interview, naming member financial freedom as the top policy goal for the coming year. Andrew noted that rising economic pressures are not a localized challenge – it is a worldwide trend that has hit uniformed officers just as hard as other working groups, with everyday commodity and living costs eating steadily into take-home pay.

    To address this strain, the PWA has already moved to strike strategic partnerships with private sector entities. These collaborations will deliver exclusive discounted pricing on a wide range of daily necessities and services for all PWA members, a measure Andrew said is designed to directly cut household spending burdens and soften the blow of ongoing inflation.

    Beyond private-sector partnerships, the association is also in the preliminary stages of exploring the launch of its own member-focused financial institution. The proposed entity would be tailored to meet officers’ unique needs, providing accessible loan products and customized financial service packages that fill gaps in existing support, Andrew explained.

    The PWA chairman acknowledged the consistent support the government has provided to officers, pointing to the 8 percent salary increase awarded over the last three-year period as a tangible measure that has already helped improve members’ financial standing. Even with this public sector support, however, Andrew argued that the association has a role to play in delivering additional, targeted assistance to its community – making this work a central focus for the new executive in 2026.

    Beyond financial initiatives, Andrew emphasized that the PWA is fully committed to working hand-in-hand with senior police administration to build a more effective, efficient police force for the people of Dominica. As an internal body embedded within the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force, close collaboration with leadership is non-negotiable to advance members’ interests and deliver on policy goals, he said. Andrew acknowledged that occasional disagreements over priorities or strategies are inevitable in any large organization, but he stressed that the collective bargaining framework of unionism puts the PWA in a strong position to negotiate differences and resolve disputes productively when they arise.

    Deputy Police Chief Jeoffrey James echoed Andrew’s commitment to collaboration, welcoming the PWA’s new agenda as a positive step forward for the entire force. James framed the new executive’s term as an ideal opportunity to deepen coordination between the PWA and police administration, noting that aligned working relationships directly translate to better welfare for officers and more efficient, effective public service for Dominica’s residents.

    James reminded that the PWA’s core mandate explicitly requires working with police leadership to support officer wellness and keep the force operating smoothly. He urged the new executive board to maintain unity, shared purpose, and open communication with administration, warning that failing to prioritize this collaboration would be a misstep for the association. When built on mutual commitment, James said, the partnership between the PWA and police leadership will deliver tangible benefits for both the association and the wider force, leaving the entire institution in a stronger position to serve the public.

  • Bus Operators: ‘This is not a price increase. This is just a price alignment.’

    Bus Operators: ‘This is not a price increase. This is just a price alignment.’

    In a late-breaking development out of Belize’s public transit sector, the Belize Bus Association (BBA) has walked back its planned full suspension of all bus services starting Monday, following a lengthy negotiating session with national Minister of Transport Dr. Louis Zabaneh that concluded on Thursday. While commuters across the country can enjoy a temporary reprieve from potential widespread transit disruptions, the reprieve is only temporary, and the future of public bus fares and service remains hanging in the balance ahead of an upcoming Cabinet meeting next Tuesday.

    During the talks, BBA President Phillip Jones outlined to the minister the core grievances driving the association’s industrial action threat, which extend beyond the industry’s ongoing struggles with spiking fuel costs to an existing inequity in regulated fare structures across the country’s transit sector. Currently, the state-run National Bus Company (NBC) is permitted to charge 19 cents per mile for service, while all independent private bus operators that make up the BBA have their fares legally capped at just 14 cents per mile. This gap, Jones argues, creates an unfair playing field for non-state operators, and the association is only calling for “price alignment” rather than an arbitrary fare hike.

    According to Jones, Minister Zabaneh acknowledged the validity of the association’s concerns and agreed to carry the BBA’s full proposal, which includes a formal request for fare adjustment, to the upcoming Cabinet meeting for deliberation and approval. “It was a long meeting. We discussed some issues that were affecting us besides the hike in fuel,” Jones told local outlet News Five in a post-meeting interview. “The minister requested time because Cabinet would be meeting on Tuesday and he will need the support from Cabinet to assist us.”

    In a show of good faith amid the ongoing negotiations, the BBA has agreed to hold off on any planned industrial action while the association awaits the final outcome of the Cabinet vote. The result of next week’s meeting will ultimately determine whether bus services continue running without interruption or the country faces a full shutdown of public bus transit. Commuters across Belize are now watching closely as the national government weighs the competing priorities of affordable transit for working residents and fair operating conditions for bus operators.

  • Missing Dangriga Delivery Man Found Dead

    Missing Dangriga Delivery Man Found Dead

    In a tragic development out of Belize’s Stann Creek District, a 24-year-old delivery worker from Dangriga who was reported missing earlier this week has been discovered dead in the rural community of Silk Grass Village. The victim has been identified as Steve Lewis, who vanished on Tuesday morning shortly after leaving his residence to complete what was expected to be an ordinary series of delivery stops. He never made it back to his family after that departure.

    In an interview with local outlet News Five, Lewis’s mother, Suceli Lewis, shared new details about the circumstances leading up to her son’s disappearance. She confirmed that on the day he went missing, Steve received an unexpected phone call from an unidentified man based in Dangriga. The caller allegedly requested that Lewis drive him to a remote farm located within Silk Grass Village, a trip that would take the delivery man far outside his usual route. That request, and the departure that followed, marked the final time any member of Lewis’s family saw him alive.

    Once it became clear that Lewis would not return home as scheduled, local community members and family contacts mobilized to launch a large-scale search of the Silk Grass Village area. What searchers ultimately found was a devastating discovery that has left the small community reeling.

    Describing the moment her son was found, Suceli Lewis explained that search teams were spread across the rural terrain when a friend of the family made the grim find. “One of my friends came through the back [area], and he said he smelt a scent, and he said he saw vultures. So he stopped. When he stopped the cycle, then he went direct to the ditch… like a lagoon-like drain,” she recalled.

    In the wake of the discovery, the Lewis family says they have strong reason to believe Steve was deliberately lured to the location and killed. “Foul play. Based on footage, that’s why I tell you that’s foul play,” Suceli Lewis stated, though she did not share further details about the footage referenced. Additional information about the ongoing investigation into Lewis’s death is expected to be released during the News @ Noon broadcast on GBM, and local authorities have not yet released an official statement on the case as of Friday.

  • Hanover hosts first youth entrepreneur competition

    Hanover hosts first youth entrepreneur competition

    HANOVER, POINT — A pioneering initiative aimed at unlocking the entrepreneurial potential of young Jamaicans has officially launched in the parish of Hanover, bringing transformative opportunities for 48 ambitious student business owners and aspiring founders. Dubbed the Youth Entrepreneur Programme (YEP) Competition, the first initiative of its kind across Jamaica, is the result of a collaborative partnership between the Social Development Commission (SDC) and Infiniti Co-operative Credit Union, with additional support from local political leadership. The launch ceremony was hosted Wednesday at the Grand Palladium Hotel, drawing attendees from across the education, finance and public sectors.

    The programme draws participants from four of Hanover’s six high schools: Rusea’s High, Green Island High, Merlene Ottey High, and Knockalva Technical High. The 12-week competition will run through to a final judging and awards event scheduled for June 10, giving young founders time to launch and scale their ideas. Every approved participant — whether entering as an individual or a small team — will receive JMD $10,000 in seed capital, deposited directly into a dedicated Infiniti Co-operative Credit Union youth savings account. To secure a spot in the competition, all submitted ventures were required to meet three core criteria: they must address an unmet need in the participants’ school or local community, feature a clear element of innovation, and demonstrate viable potential for long-term operation beyond the programme timeline.

    For many participating students, the programme offers a critical stepping stone to grow ideas they have already begun building from scratch. Jessica Gray, a ninth-grade student at Rusea’s High, already runs a small successful business operating across neighboring St James and Hanover, supported initially by family, friends and community members. Speaking to reporters at the launch, Gray shared her excitement for the opportunity to scale her venture, noting that the seed funding will allow her to purchase additional inventory to better serve her growing customer base. Beyond her business ambitions, Gray plans to pursue a career in law, building her enterprise alongside her academic studies.

    Other students are launching new ventures tailored to gaps they have observed in their own school communities. Orlando Hylton, an upper-sixth-form student at Green Island High, is launching a stationery business to address the absence of an on-campus bookstore for students. Open about the inherent risks of entrepreneurship, Hylton said the programme’s support gave him the confidence to move forward with his idea. Like many participants, Hylton balances his business goals with long-term professional plans: he aims to work as an airline pilot and operate a livestock farm in his spare time, and has already made plans to pass the stationery business on to a classmate if he chooses not to continue running it long-term.

    Kamachia McBean, a 10th-grade student at Merlene Ottey High, already runs a thriving cookie business that draws strong support from her peers and generates solid profits. She has already mapped out how she will use her seed funding: expanding her product line to include doughnuts and assorted snacks to grow her customer base. McBean’s long-term career plans include nursing as her primary goal, with flight attendant and professional chef as alternate paths, but she emphasized that she intends to keep running her food business regardless of which career direction she chooses.

    Beyond seed funding, the programme includes a robust structure of ongoing support and recognition for all participants. Every contestant will receive comprehensive training and mentorship in core business skills including general entrepreneurship, marketing strategy, and social media marketing. Business expos will be hosted at each participating high school, giving students a platform to showcase their products and services to peers, school staff and local community members. When the competition concludes in June, top-performing participants will receive additional grant funding to scale their ventures: first place will take home a trophy, certificate and JMD $90,000 business grant, second place earns a trophy, certificate and JMD $60,000 grant, and third place receives a trophy, certificate and JMD $30,000 grant. Special school-level awards will also be distributed, and every participant will receive a certificate of participation to acknowledge their work.

    Tova Trench-Anderson, SDC Parish Manager for Hanover, emphasized the transformative long-term impact the programme aims to deliver. “We commend these schools for answering the call and taking the bold step to invest in their students’ entrepreneurial potential,” she said. “By the end of this programme, we expect our participants to demonstrate increased confidence, stronger leadership skills, improved financial discipline, and practical experience in running a business. More importantly, they will have laid a solid foundation for future entrepreneurial pursuits.”

    Infiniti Co-operative Credit Union has contributed nearly JMD $1 million in total funding to the programme, in addition to providing expert mentorship for participants. Conroy Ward, Regional Sales Manager for Infiniti Co-operative Credit Union, outlined the practical guidance the credit union’s team will provide to young founders. “We are going to guide the students along the way, giving information on how to budget, how to save, how to create a cash flow and how to create a network,” Ward explained.

    Local MP for Hanover Eastern Andrea Purkiss also announced at the launch that she would be adding extra funding to the programme’s prize pool, after being impressed by the quality and creativity of the students’ business ideas. “I am really delighted that the children are so creative in Hanover. I sat in that room and I listened to the business concepts, the names of the businesses that they came up with on their own,” Purkiss said. She also noted that in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, which recently impacted the region, building portable, income-generating skills for young people is more important than ever, giving students a reliable source of income they can depend on amid economic uncertainty.

  • Teen charged after ‘confessing’ to beating homeless man with board in Port Maria

    Teen charged after ‘confessing’ to beating homeless man with board in Port Maria

    In the northern Jamaican parish of St Mary, a violent assault on a vulnerable homeless elder has ended with one juvenile suspect in police custody, as law enforcement continues a manhunt for a second attacker. The case dates back to the early hours of April 1 this year, when emergency responders were dispatched to the Port Maria Market area following a disturbing report: a 70-year-old man had been found lying unconscious on the ground, suffering from a critical head wound.

    When officers arrived at the scene, they found the victim bleeding heavily from a deep blunt-force injury to his skull. Emergency medical teams immediately transported him to the local Port Maria Hospital, where he was admitted in critical condition. Due to the severity of his injuries, he was later transferred to the larger Kingston Public Hospital to receive specialized, ongoing care. Police confirmed that forensic and medical examinations matched the victim’s wounds to blunt force trauma consistent with being struck by a hard object.

    Two weeks after the attack, on April 14, 2026, Jamaican law enforcement captured the 16-year-old suspect during a targeted operation. Per Jamaican legal protections for minors, the teen’s name and other identifying details have not been released to the public. The suspect was questioned in the presence of his legal representation, and during that interrogation, he openly admitted his role in the assault. According to official police statements, the teen confessed that he and an unidentified accomplice attacked the elderly man while he slept near the market, beating him with a wooden board. Two days after his arrest, on Thursday, the juvenile was formally charged with wounding with intent.

    Investigations remain active as the St Mary Police division works to track down and arrest the second suspect who has not yet been taken into custody. Local authorities have issued a public appeal for any community member with information related to the attack, the suspect’s identity, or his current whereabouts to come forward. Tips can be submitted directly to the Port Maria Police station via two dedicated phone lines at 876-994-4222 or 876-333-9530, or anonymously through Jamaica’s Crime Stop hotline at 311.

    Shortly after the assault occurred, Desmond McKenzie, Jamaica’s Local Government Minister, publicly condemned the unprovoked attack on the homeless man. McKenzie called for full collaboration between the Jamaican public and law enforcement to ensure both attackers are quickly apprehended and held accountable for their actions.

  • WATCH: Several injured after bus overturns on PJ Patterson Highway

    WATCH: Several injured after bus overturns on PJ Patterson Highway

    A road traffic incident in St Catherine, Jamaica has left multiple people injured after a passenger bus overturned on the PJ Patterson Highway Saturday afternoon. According to local reports, the crash unfolded at approximately 4:30 p.m., when a Toyota Coaster carrying seven occupants was traveling along the wet thoroughfare. The vehicle lost traction on the rain-soaked pavement, skidding out of control before colliding with the highway’s central median and flipping onto its side. Emergency response teams were dispatched to the scene shortly after the accident. All injured passengers, who are reported to have sustained only minor injuries from the crash, were transported to a nearby medical center to receive urgent care and evaluation. A local journalist, Llewellyn Wynter, captured video footage of the crash site following the incident. Road safety officials have noted that wet driving conditions significantly increase stopping distances and the risk of skidding, reminding motorists to reduce speed and exercise extra caution during and after rainfall. No further updates on the victims’ conditions have been released as of the latest report.

  • Driver damages fresh concrete as road works continue in Bathlodge

    Driver damages fresh concrete as road works continue in Bathlodge

    An act of disregard for construction zone safety has thrown a wrench into ongoing road improvement works in Bathlodge, after a motorist intentionally broke through clearly marked barriers and drove across uncured, freshly poured concrete. The incident has left infrastructure teams dealing with unexpected damage, pushed back project timelines, and driven up costs for the public works initiative.

    This road upgrade project forms a small part of a nationwide infrastructure program designed to revitalize road networks across multiple communities. From the start of works in Bathlodge, construction teams put in place clear warning signage and physical barriers to block off the section of fresh concrete, which needs sufficient time to fully harden before it can bear vehicle weight.

    In an official public statement, local authorities confirmed that the motorist deliberately crossed the restricted boundary, causing irreversible damage to the uncured surface. Construction officials emphasized that even if a newly paved surface appears dry to the naked eye, it has not finished the curing process and cannot withstand vehicle traffic. Relying on visual inspection alone to judge a surface’s readiness, they noted, often leads to preventable damage like the incident in Bathlodge.

    In the wake of the damage, road work crews have issued an urgent call to all road users—both motorists and pedestrians—to respect all safety protocols at active construction sites. They are urging the public to stick to clearly marked detour routes, follow all posted road signs, and adhere to instructions from on-site construction workers at all times.

    The damage has already forced a delay to the completion of the Bathlodge section of the project, adds unplanned extra costs to the initiative, and disrupts the carefully mapped progress of the wider infrastructure upgrade. Despite this setback, authorities have expressed gratitude for the general public’s ongoing patience and cooperation as they work to complete upgrades that will benefit the community’s road network long-term.

  • Hero Rat Honoured with World’s First Statue in Cambodia

    Hero Rat Honoured with World’s First Statue in Cambodia

    On the eve of 2026 International Day for Mine Awareness, a historic ceremony in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province revealed a one-of-a-kind tribute: the world’s first statue honoring a landmine-detecting rodent, Magawa, the extraordinary African giant pouched rat whose life-saving work made large swathes of the Southeast Asian nation safer.

    Over his five years active service, Magawa’s sharp nose helped locate more than 100 buried landmines across an area of contaminated land spanning more than 141,000 square meters, a plot roughly equal to 20 soccer fields. Trained by APOPO, the Belgian non-profit organization that develops detection animals for humanitarian mine clearance, Magawa leveraged unique biological advantages that set him apart from human-led demining teams. His small, light frame never weighed enough to trigger the sensitive explosives he sniffed out, allowing him to cross dangerous minefields without risk, and he could clear an area the size of a tennis court in just 20 minutes, a task that would take a human deminer many hours to complete.

    Magawa’s groundbreaking contributions earned him a spot in humanitarian history in 2020, when he became the first rat ever awarded the PDSA Gold Medal, the prestigious honor recognizing animal bravery and devotion to duty in saving human lives. After a career marked by consistent, life-saving work, Magawa retired from active duty in 2021 and passed away in 2022 at the age of 8, an advanced lifespan for his species.

    Today, as Cambodia works toward its national goal of eliminating all landmines from its territory by 2030, Magawa’s legacy continues. A new generation of APOPO-trained HeroRATS continues his mission, clearing contaminated land to allow communities to return to farming, building homes, and using land that has been off-limits for decades. This new permanent statue ensures that Magawa’s extraordinary contribution will not be forgotten, standing as a reminder that the most impactful heroes often come in the most unexpected packages.

  • VIDEO: Grieving mother on murder charge arrives in court

    VIDEO: Grieving mother on murder charge arrives in court

    A 46-year-old Layou security guard, grieving the fatal shooting of her son just seven days prior, has made her first court appearance alongside a 22-year-old local man, after the pair were hit with conspiracy and murder charges over the death of a 19-year-old labourer.

    Rosia John and Augustus Mathews, a Layou resident, face two formal criminal allegations connected to the killing of Perrance Mathews, a 19-year-old Layou-based labourer. Court documents outline that between April 10 and April 13, 2026, the two defendants conspired to carry out a plan that would have culminated in a murder. The second, more severe charge accuses them of intentionally and maliciously causing Perrance Mathews’ death by shooting him multiple times across his body.

    Authorities confirm the alleged crimes took place in Buccament, a coastal community in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. On Friday, April 17, 2026, John and Mathews appeared at Kingstown’s Serious Offences Court for the formal reading of their charges, an event that was captured on video by local media.

    The court appearance comes exactly one week after a double shooting in Kingstown’s Stoney Ground neighbourhood that claimed the life of John’s 29-year-old son, Enrique John, also known locally by the nickname Shoubu. Raheem Guy, 22, was also killed in that same April 10, 2026 attack. The overlapping timeline of the two violent incidents — the double killing that left Rosia John bereaved, followed just days later by her being charged in the murder of 19-year-old Perrance Mathews — has cast a spotlight on the surge of violent gun crime impacting the small Caribbean nation.