All through the newscast we've been telling you about the easing in the state of emergency regulations which took effect today.
The curfew comes into effect at midnight while bars, nightclubs and rum shops remain closed. But, what about commercial sex work? The statutory instrument laying out the regulations are silent on this - what is commonly called the world's oldest profession. And there has been a not so subtle lobby for working girls to get back to work.
Today, the Commissioner said the law is silent, simply because commercial sex work is illegal:
Jules Vasquez- Reporter
"With this latest relaxation is sex work allowed to resume?"
Chester Williams- Commissioner of Police
[laughs] "I don't know Jules, what basically to say to answer your question. But to say that sex work is to resume, I didn't know that that was legal in Belize. I have looked at the various laws and one may say that prostitution is not illegal but socilitation is illegal. But what is prostitution? What is the definition of prostritution? By law it is the exchange of sex or sexual favors for money. And if it is that what is engaged in is where a man or a woman, because you know woman and woman do go together, would go together and one favor is passed and money is given for that and that is prostitution. So I can't understand why we condone those types of behaviours within our society. It was something that I was really stunned to hear. If it is that you have people who work in a bar and are bartenders then that is not an issue. But if it is that you leave the bartending and you have clients and you go service your clients and get paid that is prostitution and by any account that is not permitted under our laws."
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