5 days ago
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The National Evangelical Association of Belize (NEAB) is calling for police action following the circulation of a video from the Independence Day Carnival in Orange Walk. NEAB claims the video shows a child being included in sexually suggestive behaviour involving adults during the parade. The association described the incident as abusive and said it is the second time in three years that a child has been placed in a similar situation during public carnival celebrations. The statement comes less than two weeks after the Belize Council of Churches called for a dress code and clearer standards of behaviour at carnival events. That proposal drew strong reactions from members of the public and some government ministers. NEAB is now calling on the Ministries of Education, Culture and Tourism to set firm boundaries for future events. It says police officers assigned to carnival parades should also be briefed beforehand and prepared to intervene when children are placed in inappropriate situations. The Police Department has since responded to the concerns. ASP Stacy Smith spoke about the video and whether the actions seen in it could lead to a criminal investigation.
ASP Stacy Smith, Belize Police Department: “The circumstances are as you are relaying them to be, certainly it is a matter of concern. I would hope that the human services would have seen this video as well and stepped in. But as it relates from the police department’s position, I am not aware of it, but I will make inquiries. What I will say is that the issues concerning carnival or the circumstance of carnival relates to culture, relates to views, relates to morals, it relates to a lot and it invites an even larger discussion as to what we as a country are willing to accept or embrace. As it relates to your specific question in terms of if the parent is not desirous for actions to be taken if it can still be taken, any abuse concerning a child, that discretion is not left to the parent to decide whether or not actions should be taken. We have a human services department with social workers and they have a mandate. You would know that in some cases where children are abused in homes maybe the mother would say I don’t want a press charge against the father or the father would say I don’t want a press charge against the mother. And that is where human services come in and the social worker to give an objective independent because the best interest of the child is always paramount. I will first start off by giving thanks to all those members of the police department who went the extra mile for the entirety of the September celebrations. Yesterday’s event culminated over a month of activities where officers were called upon to work in excess of their routine periods. What I will also say and I am grateful for as well is the assistance that members of the general public gave us in policing these events. We know there were multiple events and many of them happened simultaneously across the country which required for resources to be stretched thin. However, I am grateful and we are grateful that most of these events, if not all, all went without major incidents.”
NEAB says the adults involved should be investigated and, where the evidence supports it, prosecuted under existing laws protecting children. The association also claims the video was uploaded by the child’s mother. That allegation has not been independently confirmed. Facebook later removed the recording, reportedly because it violated the platform’s rules against the sexual exploitation of children. NEAB is urging people not to continue sharing the footage, since further circulation could expose and harm the child. The statement was issued by NEAB President Reverend Santiago Valencia and the association’s national executive.
English (US) ·