Human Development Minister and U.S. Ambassador participate in start of a Human Trafficking Academy

Minister of Human Development, Dolores Balderamos-Garcia, U.S. Ambassador Michelle Kwan, and Chief Magistrate, Sharon Frazer were among those to attend the official start of the Human Trafficking Academy.  The first of its kind in Belize, the weeklong event was hosted in Placencia by The Human Trafficking Institute (HTI) and the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), in partnership with the U.S. Embassy’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Unit and supported by the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Council (A-TIP). A statement from U.S. Embassy says the event brought together personnel from across Belize’s justice sector, including representatives from the A-TIP police unit, prosecutors, social workers, immigration officials, judges, and magistrates, along with a wide variety of Belizean and international stakeholders on anti-human trafficking best practices. In addition to the addresses by the specially invited guests, U.S. and Belizean experts also provided insights and guidance on topics including the tools and techniques used in trafficking in persons (TIP) investigations, resources and concepts to improve the processing of TIP cases within the justice system, and an interactive exercise moving through the initial TIP investigation based on reporting all the way through sentencing.