Overview of Human Rights in Belize

Belize is a constitutional parliamentary democracy. While the government works to respect the human and civil rights of its citizens there are a few problem areas which still need to be addressed. The security forces in Belize have been known to use excessive force and participate in extrajudicial killings. Human rights organizations note that the government allows arbitrary arrest and extremely lengthy pretrial detention. Belize is also a known hotspot for trafficking in drugs and persons, mainly women and children for forced sexual labor.  That said, the country enjoys a good record of human rights overall.

Human Development Index (HDI) Rank:

95th out of 177

Note: Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the level of well-being of nations in the world. It uses factors such as poverty, literacy, life-expectancy, education, gross domestic product, and purchasing power parity to assess the average achievements in each nation. It has been used in the United Nation’s Human Development Report since 1993.