TRAFFICKING OF PERSONS IN BELIZE - OAS

just outside Benque, there’s a small town called Arenal, part of its houses are in
Guatemala and the rest, in Belize. There’s a football pitch that is “cut” by the
border line between both countries. Right there, Maya, Guatemalan and
Belicean children play together mixing cultures, languages and needs. The
researchers for this study could prove that there are Belizean Police patrols
covering the byroads that go between Arenal and Benque, controlling the
documents of those that aren’t locals. The same kind of controls can be seen in
checkpoints along the busiest roads of the country. Many of them are not
permanent and they check on the vehicles or persons that generate suspicions.
Belize’s check post works efficiently. Anyhow, it is notorious that its protection
level is low. It has only one armed police for surveillance and the migration
officers – even though they could- don’t use weapons. If a violent situation
arises, the possibilities of intervention are scarce. In fact, some migration
officers have suffered aggressions. Arriving to a checkpoint generates a very
complex emotional situation for those who do so, that is something to keep in
mind.
Migration officers and administrative personnel consider they need to have
more training and more detailed guidelines to manage any kind of situation that
might arise. There have been courses on fake papers detection, but criminals
are permanently developing new techniques to produce illegal documents, so it
is really necessary to give this kind of courses on a regular basis.
B) Coast and creek zone.
Belize City isn’t the capital city but it is the most important one in the country.
Although the central government offices are not in this area, it is without doubt
the reference point for the financial activities and a “must” transit spot for
tourists heading towards the islands or other regions. It is a special city where
the architectural style maintains its colonial constructions: houses built on
wooden beams, with verandas and many windows. The city has good
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