Belize: 18-year-old arrested for brutally beating 14-year-old girlfriend

According to the police officials, the 14-year-old reported that on a Tuesday night, his boyfriend came to visit their apartment in Bella Vista Village

Saturday, 18th May 2024

Belize: 18-year-old arrested for brutally beating 14-year-old girlfriend (Representative Image)

Belize: In a shocking incident, a 14-year-old girl was brutally beaten by her 18-year-old boyfriend in Bella Vista Village, Toledo. Both the teenagers were in a relationship, but the recent assault activity put the 18-year-old in a dangerous and troubling situation. According to the police officials, the 14-year-old reported that on a Tuesday night, his boyfriend came to visit their apartment in Bella Vista Village, following which an argument between the two ensued, and the male raised his voice and pushed the child. In the process, the chair she was sitting on broke, and she fell to the ground. He then proceeded to grab her by the neck and slammed her face into the wall twice. The child tried to escape to her mother's house but was stopped by him, who punched her in the face. Fortunately, two officers who lived in the same apartment complex were able to rescue her from further harm. Following the incident, Minister of Human Development Balderamos-Garcia spoke about the case and said that the parents need to be held accountable for such incidents. She also stated that similar cases of rape have been reported in San Pedro Town and other parts of the Belize District. The Minister noted, "This is one of a 14-year-old girl who does not have the age of consent with an 18-year-old young man, so and to make it even worse is physical violence, you know, not only the sexual abuse but also physical violence, so again, we have to hold perpetrators accountable." She further noted that an 18 year old guy is a bit different than a 50 year old teacher and mentioned that recently the Director of Public Prosecutions has ordered charges in a different case of a 14 year old girl, who is pregnant at the moment and is soon to have a baby. "We had to remove her from the guy that she was living with in San Pedro, but the parents allowed the 14-year-old to go and live with the guy in San Pedro. And it is possible that some money was being sent to the parents," she further noted. The Minister announced that the charges apparently have been laid not only on the suspect, who is the father of the baby, but also on the parents, who allowed the 14-year-old to go and live with somebody because she was pregnant. She added that everyone needs to treat such parents and guardians accountable.