The last session of training that we provided in the Caribbean for IMPACT Justice was November in Belize. We spent the week training with 38 police officers of varying rank, who came each day from across the country.
We were inspired by the energy these officers put into merely getting to the course. Many spent 2 hours or more each way, by bus, arriving in crisp uniforms, ready to study and practice their mediation skills.
As with all the sessions in other Caribbean countries, the people taking this training were hardly students in the usual sense. They included senior members of the Belizean Police Force who have been utilizing sophisticated forms of dispute resolution in tough situations for years. Many have experience that we, the trainers, will never have, including having members of the community show up at your doorstep seeking mediation. Several in this group were experienced trainers and mediators themselves.
We had many women in our group, many of whom were single parents. They described the challenges they face juggling the often dangerous work they do with demands of caring for children and family, getting to and from work, and managing in a tough economy. Working with gender constructs is an important feature of the IMPACT Justice Project, and all participants were already keenly aware of the impact of gender on negotiation process and outcomes.
Belize City is one of the most fascinating places I have been. Like many urban centres in former colonies, many of the buildings were designed and built in a former era, with colonial influences and often slave labour. We were fortunate to get a tour of the Supreme Court house, a former Governor’s residence and the oldest Anglican Church in Central America, built with bricks that served as ballast in ships from England.
Over the course of the five days, the group of officers explored the ways in which classic negotiation and mediation theory and practice might be interwoven with their day to day work. In some cases, such as situations of danger or domestic violence, it is not possible. But in many others, the officers felt that much of what they do could benefit from using the active listening, patient questioning and non-judging facilitation skills they were role playing each day. From neighbour disputes to husband and wife conflicts, they found applications for a less adversarial, less judgemental and less authoritarian approach to conflict resolution.
By the end of the week, we had made new friends, enjoyed many wonderfully warm and funny moments, and shared with our Belizean colleagues some great learning.
But most of all we enjoyed the bustle of this busy city; the great local food (coconut and ginger Tableta is a treat, and the confluence of Mayan and Caribbean cooking was always good) and meeting the many people who taught us about the history and contemporary life in the country. We also were able to explore the Lamanai Mayan Ruins outside Belize City , and appreciate some of the country’s fantastic natural beauty and historical significance.
IMPACT Justice (Improved Access to Justice in the Caribbean) is a 5-year project funded by the Canadian government. It is implemented by the University of West Indies Cave Hill campus in 13 CARICOM member states. The goal of the project is enhanced access to justice benefiting men, women, youth and business.
Hilary Linton is a Toronto lawyer whose practice is restricted to providing mediation, arbitration, teaching and consulting services. She has used her years of experience to launch her ADR business, Riverdale Mediation, which specializes in family mediation and arbitration, teaching mediation and negotiation theory and skills, and private training and consulting for corporations, government and individuals.
