Belize Property

At year's end, the Government had not responded to the 2003 Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) report recommending that it recognize the Mayan right to traditionally occupied communal property and demarcate such property before taking any further actions on disputed land. In November, the IACHR rebuked the Government for not acting on the recommendations. ...

There were no legal impediments to women owning or managing land or other real property. Women were active in all spheres of national life, but relatively few held top managerial positions. The law mandates equal pay for equal work; however, women tended to earn less than men; the median monthly income for a working woman was $353 (Bz$706) compared with $374 (Bz$748) for a man. ... [Read More]

U.S.: China Has High Rate of Intellectual Property Infringement- U.S. Department Of State

"Strong intellectual property rights protections and enforcement at home and abroad are critical for the success of America's innovative economy and are top priorities for this Administration," said Acting U.S. Trade Representative Peter Allgeier. "We are committed to vigilantly enforcing U.S. intellectual property laws and procedures and to working with our trading partners around the world to effectively protect the ideas, brands and inventions of our businesses and entrepreneurs." ... [Read More]

Marketing U.S. Products and Services

On May 19, 2000, the Belize National Assembly passed a comprehensive package of IPR legislation to satisfy Belize's obligation under the World Trade Organization (WTO) to implement the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (the TRIPS Agreement). The set of six IPR pieces of legislation includes copyrights, industrial designs, patents, trademarks, protection of new plant varieties, and protection of layout - designs (topographies) of integrated circuits.With the enactment of these measures Belize acceded to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property and of Literary and Artistic Works and the Patent Copyright Treaty.This legislation came into effect on January 1, 2001. However, music and video stores in Belize continue to carry hand-copied tapes for sale or rent. Local television stations and cable companies also continue to pirate American television networks and cable channels with impunity, although two of Belize's major cable television co ... [Read More]

Belize

Despite constitutional provisions for equality, women face social and economic prejudice. Women find it more difficult than men to obtain business and agricultural financing and other resources. Most employed women are concentrated in female-dominated occupations with traditionally low status and wages. The Women's Bureau in the Ministry of Human Development, Women, and Civil Society is charged with developing programs to improve the status of women. That Ministry estimated that women would receive 35 percent of all small business loans during the year. A number of officially registered women's groups work closely with various government ministries in promoting social awareness programs. Women have access to education and are active in all spheres of national life, but relatively few hold top managerial positions. However, women head the Belize Business Bureau, Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Belize Citrus Growers Association, several prominent environmental NGO's, and the Bel ... [Read More]

Belize

There are no special registration requirements or fees for religious organizations, and legal incorporation for a religion or denomination is a simple matter. Property taxes are not levied against churches and other places of worship. However, property taxes are levied against other church-owned buildings occupied on a regular basis, such as the pastor's or priest's residence. Clergy preach, teach, and train freely. ... [Read More]

Belize

On October 24, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued a report finding that the Government violated the rights of the Maya to land in the Toledo district. The report recommended that the Government recognize the Mayan right to traditionally occupied communal property and demarcate such property before taking any further actions on disputed land. At year's end, the Government had not responded to the IACHR report. ...

There were no legal impediments to women owning or managing land or other real property. Women were active in all spheres of national life, but relatively few held top managerial positions. However, women served as assistant police commissioner, chief elections officer, AIDS commissioner, and Minister of Defense. Women also headed the Belize Citrus Growers Association, the Government's trade promotion board, and several prominent environmental NGOs. The law mandates equal pay for equal work; however, women tended to earn less than men; in 1999 the median monthly income for a working woman was $290 (Bz$580) compared to $317 (Bz$634) for a man. ... [Read More]

Belize

No laws impeded participation of women in politics, and 82 percent of both men and women were registered to vote. There were three women in the House of Representatives; two were elected Representatives and the other was appointed to serve as Speaker of the House. There were 5 women in the 12-member appointed Senate, and another woman served as president of the Senate. There was one woman in the Cabinet, and five women were chief executive officers of ministries. The Chief Elections Officer was also a woman. There were no laws impeding participation by indigenous persons or minority groups in politics. There were Mestizo, Creole, Maya, and Garifuna representatives in the National Assembly. Voter registration and participation were not tracked by ethnicity; however, there were no complaints or reports of electoral discrimination on the basis of ethnicity. Section 4 Governmental Attitude Regarding International and N ... [Read More]

V. Country Narratives -- Countries A through G

The Peoples’ Republic of China is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation. A significant number of Chinese women and children are trafficked internally for forced marriage and forced labor. Chinese women are at times lured abroad with false promises of legitimate employment and then trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation to destinations throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and North America, while Chinese men have been trafficked for forced labor to Europe, South America, and the Middle East. A large number of Chinese men and women are smuggled abroad at enormous personal financial cost and, upon arrival in the destination country, are subjected to commercial sexual exploitation or other forms of exploitative labor to repay their debts. They often face exploitative conditions that meet t ... [Read More]

Investment Climate

There are many property disputes involving foreign investors and other land owners, because it is often difficult to trace reliably the ownership history or specific borders of land holdings. Title insurance is not commonly available in Belize. Generally, as in the U.S., property buyers will avoid problems by dealing with reputable real estate professionals and lawyers experienced in local property law. A number of U.S. citizens have discovered that their land titles overlap or are otherwise in conflict with those of adjacent property owners. These cases often take years to resolve and sometimes involve lengthy and expensive legal proceedings. The Government of Belize seems to be doing nothing effective to make land title more secure or these cases easier and less expensive to resolve. ... [Read More]