Activists in San Juan rally in September 2020 to demand action to address violence against women in Puerto Rico.Photo: RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP via Getty Images
Responding to a rise in murders and assaults against women, Puerto Rico’s governor has declared a state of emergency for gender violence in the U.S. territory, drawing attention to what he described as “the consequences of systematic machismo, inequity, discrimination, lack of education, lack of guidance and above all, lack of action.”
“Gender violence is a social evil, based on ignorance and attitudes that cannot have space or tolerance in the Puerto Rico that we aspire to,” Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said in anews release. “It is my duty and my commitment as governor to establish a STOP to gender violence and for these purposes I have declared a state of emergency.”
Sunday’s emergency declaration seeks to elevate and focus the government’s response. It follows the high-profile death of Angie Noemi González, a nurse and mother of three from Barranquitas, whose partner of 16 years, Roberto Rodríguez, allegedly admitted to her murder, according to police, reports theHerald.
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The governor’s declaration puts forth several measures, including the creation of a mobile phone app through which victims of gender violence can seek emergency help while hiding the message to protect them from their aggressor.
It also establishes a program in which law enforcement officers follow up with women who have obtained protective orders, and a committee to recommend and monitor public policy changes.
Pierluisi, who took office earlier this month, promised to address the issue, according toCNN.
“To eradicate gender violence, we have to make concerted efforts between the state and society in which, in addition to a comprehensive plan, there is an educational approach to teach our children that every human being has to be respected, as well as empower to our next generations to eradicate this evil,” he said in his statement declaring the emergency.
Advocacy groups, who have rallied on social media and in the streets, embraced the governor’s actions.
“Today we allow ourselves to feel joy for the progress that it signifies for the feminist struggle of Puerto Rico and the world, having made the State recognize its responsibility and obligation to tackle the crisis of gender violence,” the organization Colectiva Feminista en Construcción, which had pushed for the emergency declaration, stated onits Facebook page.
“Today our rage carries some hope,” the organization posted. “Today, as always, our hope is radical. We will not take a step back.”
source: people.com
