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Thea Garcia Ramirez, Chairperson, NWC
"Well, it's to galvanize support, to advocate and to ensure that we, you know, put a big, bright spotlight on gender based violence, which is a social illness that is afflicting Belize and that we we it's Belize's dirty little secret. It's what we try to keep under wraps. It's what people see is nobody's business. That the thing, the man and the woman. And, you know, we we are challenging that and saying it's everybody's business and there's no excuse for it."

Reporter
"Why was it important to include students or schools in today's lunch or in the whole event?"

Thea Garcia Ramirez, Chairperson, NWC
"Well, the problem of gender based violence is one actually of ingrained biases that we have when we that's where it starts, you know, and one of the excuses is, you know, it's tradition, it's culture, you know, a lot of times you hear things like, you know, if, you know, for cook, you're when you're when you'll get married, your husband won't be to and you know, it's sort of it gets it gets, to be kind of normal."

Reporter
"Finally, what is your opinion on the change of child marriage?"

Thea Garcia Ramirez, Chairperson, NWC
"Well, I think it's wonderful. I don't see why children should be married any at all. It's not, you know, you're not allowed to smoke, you're not allowed to drink, but suddenly you can get married and, like, like, forever married. You know, I know a lot of adults who are adults and find it hard to stay in a committed, married relationship. I don't know why you feel like young children should be able to do that. So if it were me, I would be honest. I would tell you that I would want to see the age of consent go from 16 to 18 as well."

"And I say to young people everywhere, you know, if you are in love and you can wait, you know, you can wait until you're 18 and then get married and then say you get married because you want it. So that's should be your decision."