From The Star Staff
In celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Domestic Violence Law and the four-year mark since the establishment of the 24/7 Helpline, Proyecto Matria, in collaboration with the María Dolores (Tati) Fernós Women’s Commission of the Puerto Rico Bar Association, will host a forum on Thursday featuring a panel of experts who will examine the law’s consequences in Puerto Rico.
According to Proyecto Matria Executive Director Cristina Parés Alicea, the event, titled “Law 54: 35 Years for Women’s Peace,” will include insights from a diverse range of experts from academia, legal practice, long-standing activism, the public prosecutor’s office, and gender violence shelters.
“This is an important milestone that prompts us to contemplate our journey. While we have made remarkable strides, challenges remain,” Parés Alicea noted. “The rights of women and the LGBTQI+ community continue to be disregarded. It’s vital that we unite and foster dialogue that propels us toward a Puerto Rico that is free from gender-based violence.”
The panel will include Dr. Esther Vicente, a faculty member at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico School of Law; Lindsay Murillo, a special prosecutor with the Department of Justice; and Coraly León Morales, chairperson of the National Network of Gender Violence Shelters’ board. Parés Alicea will moderate the discussion, which will cover the origins and history of the statute, its enforcement, the impact of amendments, ongoing challenges, lessons learned, activism, available survivor support in shelters, and the assistance offered by specialized resources.
Parés Alicea also stated that the panelists will explore where “hope for transformation, accompanied by love, anger, and strategy, honoring our deceased in our hearts, and in their memory” directs us.
“We extend our gratitude to the trailblazers of this movement and all those who have tirelessly supported victims and heightened public awareness over these past 35 years,” she emphasized. “This forum is also a call to collective action to continue the fight against gender violence in Puerto Rico.”
