01.05.2014 Views

TRAFFICKING OF PERSONS IN BELIZE - OAS

TRAFFICKING OF PERSONS IN BELIZE - OAS

TRAFFICKING OF PERSONS IN BELIZE - OAS

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

active participation of the social community”. Its recommendations aren’t<br />

obligatory for the country members, but they have become fundamental<br />

guidelines for the formulation of public policies that the different countries are<br />

undertaking.<br />

The Regional Conference has annual meetings with the participation of all the<br />

Vice Foreign Secretaries and a country occupies pre tempore the place of the<br />

President of the Conference. To attend technical and practical matters, a<br />

Counselling Regional Group on Migration was created.<br />

Due to its open spirit and wide support of group of technicians from different<br />

migration institutions, the Puebla Process, has granted the international<br />

community an ideal space to generate guidelines and practical<br />

recommendations for governments. It has also increased the awareness on<br />

human trafficking and the facts that hide behind this crime and improved the<br />

coordination of efforts to counter it.<br />

III. <strong>BELIZE</strong><br />

Belize is, without doubts, a singular country in the Center American context. In<br />

spite of being so near Guatemala, Honduras and other Central American<br />

countries, its mountains and poor road connections have isolated it, allowing<br />

Belize’s economy, culture and political processes to make a difference. Other<br />

ingredients also play a role in this story. The country remained a British Crown<br />

Colony up to the 21 September 1981 and it still has strong bonds with its former<br />

colonizer having inherited the British institutional structure that reflects on the<br />

day to day life, for example the language.<br />

Social trends also make Belize different. 235.000 people live on a 235.000<br />

square metres area 8 . It is the less populated country of the region, it has<br />

available land and there have been no violent episodes during the last decades<br />

and no dictatorships. This rather peaceful picture takes place in a country where<br />

13

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!