Belmopan. April 22, 2022.
The Ministry of Human Development, Families and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs has noted with dismay the extensive interview on Love FM and Love Television on April 21, 2022, with Mr. Said Badi Guerra. Not only do we believe that such a media appearance was completely incorrect because the accusations against Mr. Alexis Rosado are now before the Court, but also several extremely troubling issues arise from Mr. Guerra having been afforded that forum.
First, we must remind Mr. Guerra and all Belizeans that there is no statute of limitation on the bringing of criminal charges against an accused. Likewise, we are of the firm view that Mr. Guerra should not have been given the opportunity on radio and television to hold forth in defense of his friend in circumstances of serious charges having been laid. Most troubling is that Love FM and Love Television facilitated Mr. Guerra in his claim that there are persons intent on framing or destroying Mr. Rosado and that there must be a conspiracy against him.
Such claims only serve to foster a climate of victim-blaming, which our Ministry strongly rejects and thus calls on all Belizeans to be keenly aware of and to resist. Mr. Guerra’s utterances displayed classic signs of the gender bias that we must all strive to break if our families, and our women and children in particular, are to be protected.
We, therefore, call on Love FM and Love Television and all media houses and outlets to refrain from speculation and to exercise full professional ethics in reporting on cases of the sexual abuse of persons. Our Ministry always stands ready to offer training to media professionals in this regard. And in light of this recent circumstance, we will schedule a training and sensitization session shortly.
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