Network trains professionals in vital legal support for victims of gender violence

To commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women today, National Network of Gender Violence Shelters President Coraly León on Sunday stressed the urgency of providing more support services to victims of sexual assault in Puerto Rico.

To achieve this goal, the shelters network is training new legal advocates in an academy to accompany survivors of sexual assault in court. “I am a survivor of sexual violence, and I know firsthand the challenges and difficulties that survivors have when it comes to gaining access to justice,” León said about the need for support services for victims of sexual assault. “Because of the taboo, because of many of our cultural beliefs, many victims and survivors feel isolated and guilty of the painful experience they lived, which was beyond their control. They even feel disconnected from their body.”

Police Bureau statistics reported 1,278 incidents of sexual violence in 2023 in Puerto Rico, of which 79.9% of the survivors were women. In addition, 75.45% of the victims were under 17 years of age. The crime with the highest incidence reported was lewd acts (67.9%), followed by sexual assault (27.7%). Some 52.3% of the offenders were family members and 35.4% were acquaintances.