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Domestic violence survivor from Puerto Rico urges victims to seek help PUBLISHED 11:57 AM ET May. 05, 2021 PUBLISHED 11:57 AM EDT May. 05, 2021
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LAKE COUNTY, Fla. The island of Puerto Rico was rocked over the first weekend of May, when according to authorities, two women were murdered by their partners.
The U.S. territory experienced a rise in domestic violence over the past year, leading Gov. Pedro Pierluisi to declare a state of emergency in January. According to Puerto Rico’s Gender Equality Observatory, 60 women were murdered either directly or indirectly by their partners over the past year, a 60 percent increase from 2019.
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Puerto Rico Declares Emergency Over Violence Against Trans, Cis Women January 28 2021 2:17 PM EST
Puerto Rico s new governor, Pedro Pierluisi, declared a state of emergency this week over rampant violence against women in the U.S. territory.
Sworn in this month, Pierluisi and his government are taking action following much prodding from activists. Violence has surged against transgender and cisgender women, especially since 2017 s Hurricane Maria and the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the past year, many women have been confined with their abusers and denied access to personal and professional resources.
At least 60 women were murdered in Puerto Rico last year, according to the organization Gender Equality Observatory, with six trans women killed and dozens of other cases under investigation and yet unconfirmed as murders.
Puerto Rico governor declares 18-month “state of emergency” over gender-based violence
Order creates committee to investigate killings of women, including transgender individuals
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Gov. Pedro Pierluisi – Photo: U.S. House of Representatives.
Newly-sworn in Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi has declared a state of emergency on the island in response to several high-profile killings targeting women and transgender individuals in recent years.
Pierluisi signed an executive order declaring the emergency for gender-based violence, which will remain in effect until June 30, 2022.
“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,” Pierluisi said in a statement, according to CNN. “For too long vulnerable victims have suffered the consequences of systematic machismo, inequity, discrimination, lack of education, lack of guidance and above all lack of action.”