Global Judicial Integrity Network Updates Special Edition 'Views' Review | Page 38

VIEWS
society’s fear of an institution which, for far too
long, has tried to foster respect through strange
rituals and aloofness; an institution whose
members stand firmly on their ‘independence,’
sometimes unwilling to accept that each and
every one of us has dependencies, for no man
is an island. Some even say we are disengaged,
almost strangers to our society.
Fortunately, the importance of increasing
public trust in the judiciary through integrity
is a concept the Chief Justice of Belize
understands, and which a receptive judiciary
has willingly embraced. Striving to faithfully
provide a service based on trust, the judiciary
has made itself more accessible to court users
through a variety of measures. These include
the establishment of a dedicated website with
the immediate and public posting of judgments
which speak to the intended audience, the
users; the introduction of gender protocols; the
implementation of modern civil and criminal
procedure rules, with an emphasis on the pro
se litigant (or unrepresented defendant); the
promotion of court-connected mediation and
arbitration, and outreach programmes such as
the Court and You for school-age children.
The Belize Judiciary has also concentrated its
efforts on education. It focuses on issues that
impact modern society by engaging judges
and judicial staff in training on social media,
gender sensitization, human trafficking, and
refugeeism, wellness and time and resource
management. It is a participant in the Judicial
Reform and Institutional Strengthening
(JURIST) Project’s Public Education and
Engagement Consultancy, aimed at the
development of a regional plan (with an
emphasis on vulnerable communities) for the
five participating judiciaries. Moreover, it is a
proud pilot site for the implementation of the
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
(UNODC) Judicial Ethics Training Tools, to
which the entire judiciary in Belize will be
exposed by March 2019.
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The Belizean judiciary has earnestly started
cleaning its windows, removing much of the
dressings and making it easier to accept
challenges and admit mistakes. It invites
appropriate scrutiny and accepts both
rightful criticism and merited praise, while
acknowledging that there can only be benefits to
being held accountable, and that transparency
is a virtue which finds no companion in
corruption. We have begun to look intently
through those windows and to recognize the
people looking in. Undoubtedly, there is still
a long way to go, but the longest walk begins
with a single motivated step.