There was a Senate Meeting in Belmopan today which ran for almost 6 hours. A major part of the debate was focused on the Briceno Government's 3rd Supplementary Appropriation Bill. They are seeking parliamentary approval for a little over 70 million dollars in additional public spending, which was not accounted for during PM John Briceno's first budget.

We'll tell you about that shortly, but we start our coverage of the Senate Meeting, on the motion against Domestic Violence which the Human Development Minister, Dolores Balderamos-Garcia brought to the House of Representatives last Friday.

As viewers are aware, this issue is currently a hot-button topic because of all of the controversy surrounding Patrick Faber, the embattled UDP Leader who is on his way out after the domestic violence complaint that his fiancee brought against him.

Today, the Senate, just like the House of Representatives, gave its unanimous support. Here's an excerpt of that debate:

Hon. Eamon Courtenay, Senator for Government Business
"Under the leadership of Hon. Dolores Balderamos-Garcia, the government decided that it was an opportune time to shine a light on this cancer that is on this body politic that we called Belize."

Hon. Michael Peyrefitte, Lead U.D.P. Senator
"Even if you have a virtual complainant who doesn't want to testify or give evidence or to bring the charges, if there are witnesses, if there are people who know of the situation, that in the future should not prevent the matter from going forward in court. The highest crime that we have in our books is murder and there is no virtual complainant in a murder trial. That virtual complainant would be dead and the trial still proceed. So you do not need a virtual complainant when it comes to certain instances and we do not need just the person who was the victim of this crime to be the only person to decide whether or not we go forward to press a charge. It is usually in the case that around the abuser there are apologists for that abuser, supporter, defenders, people who derive some benefits from that abuser. I hope when it comes to legal reform, Mr. President, that we can put something in laws that will also prosecute those people who enable and upholds the abuser as he or she carries put these crimes."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay, Senator for Government Business
"The ideas floated by Senator Peyrefitte in terms of not allowing a withdrawal to take place in those circumstances requires serious consideration."

Hon. Bishop Alvin Benguche, Church Senator
"Stigma and discrimination are the key issues here and one of the things we must recognize in all this is that the social media is also now use to attack the victims and so that must be taken into consideration."

Hon. Jacklyn Burns, U.D.P. Senator
"I support this motion emphatically. I want to tell the government kindly when you're drafting the details of what we are discussing here today, kindly consider financial responsibility of the persons who might be victims. Kindly set programs in place to support in that manner and secondly, to support with child care, because those are two of the most urgent needs of those who have suffered domestic abuse. Many women stay because of the children."

Hon. Elena Smith, Labour Senator
"Us as teachers we have to have these children with us on a daily basis, we hear their stories and especially the little ones are so innocent. They come and they tell you things that they would not understand that these may be things that their parents wouldn't want for them to be sharing, but innocently they share with us as teachers and so we get all of what is happening in the homes. So it affects the person who has been abused, it affects the children, but for those of us as Senator Bennet said earlier, those of us who work with these persons are also affected."

Hon. Osmany Salas, NGO Senator
"Each and every one of us here I am pretty sure have either witness, heard of, being victims of, and some may have even been perpetrators of domestic violence or the broad umbrella of gender based violence. So we must condemn domestic violence in the strongest possible terms."

Hon. Darrell Bradley, UDP Senator
"I have never in my 43 years of life see both chambers of the national assembly speak in Unisom, individual members standing up and condemning something that all of us know that is wrong in such force and unity."

Channel 7