What is the EOB?
The EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES BILL (EOB) is a proposed law that will protect Belizeans who experience discrimination, such as women or persons with disabilities, ensuring fair treatment and access to health, services, education, work, and housing.
It will also provide other basic protections, such as protecting the confidentiality of HIV diagnoses, and helping to tackle the spread of HIV/AIDS by encouraging people to seek testing and treatment.
In January 2019, an Anti-Discrimination Steering Committee was formed in Belize to develop equality legislation, and private consultations with key stakeholders started taking place in August 2019. Country-wide public consultations on the first version of the Bill took place in January 2020. Further consultations were then conducted with high profile Belizean institutions, such as the Council of Churches, the Chamber of Commerce and the Bar Association, to ensure the widest participation and input from all sectors of Belizean society. Feedback from those consultations has enhanced and informed this new version of the Equal Opportunities Bill.