,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #fcja ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,november #be1 #bjbe,mr4 ,hernndez introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states to conduct a comprehensive1 culturally informed1 and community-engaged study of gender-based violence in ,puerto ,rico1 including its causes1 prevalence1 systemic drivers1 and potential policy solutions1 taking into account the island's cultural1 economic1 educational1 infrastructural1 and post-disaster challenges4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,violence ,impact and ,vulnerabilities ,assessment ,study ,act or the ,,vivas ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,gender-based violence1 including femicides1 domestic abuse1 and sexual violence constitutes a serious public health and human rights crisis in ,puerto ,rico1 disproportionately affecting women1 the ,,lgbtqia community1 as well as other vulnerable and marginalized communities4 7#b7 ,this type of violence can take many forms1 including physical1 sexual1 emotional1 and psychological harm4 7#c7 ,existing data on gender violence in ,puerto ,rico is fragmented and insufficient1 impeding effective policy responses and resource allocation1 in part due to the absence of a unified and transparent public data system capable of integrating information across governmental and non-governmental sources4 7#d7 ,the role of local organizations and community advocates is critical in addressing the crisis1 yet their contributions are not adequately documented or integrated into formal government strategies4 7#e7 ,there is a pressing need for a comprehensive1 culturally informed1 and data-driven assessment of gender violence in ,puerto ,rico1 including an evaluation of governmental policies1 educational approaches1 and community-based interventions4 7#f7 ,such an assessment should include an independent and thorough study on the causes1 impact1 and systemic responses to gender-based violence in ,puerto ,rico1 with particular attention to cultural context1 economic conditions1 infrastructure challenges1 and the role of local organizations1 in order to effectively inform ,federal and local policy and programming1 as well as sustainable investments in reliable1 publicly accessible data systems4 #c4 ,comprehensive study on gender-based violence in ,puerto ,rico 7a7 ,comptroller ,general ,the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall conduct a comprehensive study on gender-based violence in ,puerto ,rico4 ,the study shall assess each of the following3 7#a7 ,the prevalence1 severity1 and types of gender violence across ,puerto ,rico1 disaggregated by demographic and geographic factors1 including-- 7,a7 detailed analysis of methods and patterns of violence 7e4g41 physical force1 weapons1 coercive control1 economic dependence1 digital abuse72 7,b7 the settings in which violence occurs 7e4g41 home1 workplace1 public space72 and 7,c7 the relationship between victim and perpetrator4 7#b7 ,historical and recent trends1 including changes after-- 7,a7 natural disasters 7such as hurricanes ,maria and ,fiona72 7,b7 economic crises and austerity measures2 and 7,c7 the ,,covid-#ai pandemic4 7#c7 ,the manner and extent of the effects on the prevalence1 severity1 and types of gender violence of cultural norms1 structural poverty and economic dependency1 gender identity and sexual orientation1 educational disparities and unemployment1 inadequate transportation1 housing1 utility infrastructure1 climate vulnerability and disaster risk1 and other factors the ,comptroller ,general may determine relevant4 7#d7 ,institutional response and capacity1 including with respect to-- 7,a7 law enforcement and judicial practices2 7,b7 health and social service systems2 7,c7 shelter access and emergency housing2 7,d7 access to mental health and trauma care2 and 7,e7 and substance use disorder treatment4 7#e7 ,barriers to prevention1 protection1 and justice1 such as under-reporting due to stigma and fear1 inaccessibility of services in rural areas1 police and prosecutorial shortcomings1 or lack of culturally competent or trauma-informed services4 7#f7 ,the intersection of disaster events and gender violence1 including the role of infrastructure collapse1 displacement1 and stressors in exacerbating violence and levels of access to shelters and services during and after disasters4 7#g7 ,data infrastructure and reporting systems1 including3 7,a7 existing ,federal1 ,commonwealth1 and local data systems2 7,b7 gaps in reporting1 accuracy1 and demographic disaggregation2 and 7,c7 recommendations to improve data collection and transparency1 including evaluation of the creation and implementation of a publicly accessible data system with clear standards for integration of governmental and civil-society-generated information4 7#h7 ,public access to femicide-related data and case updates1 judicial outcomes and impunity rates1 and ,government accountability mechanisms and oversight1 including current barriers to timely public disclosure and transparency4 7b7 ,additional elements 7#a7 ,organizational impact analysis ,the study required by subsection 7a7 shall also include-- 7,a7 an examination of the reach of local interventions1 the way local organizations and interventions work to fill systemic gaps to fill systemic gaps1 and challenges in sustainability1 infrastructure1 and funding2 and 7,b7 recommendations for-- 7i7 increasing support and additional funding to local ,puerto ,rican organizations2 7ii7 improving coordination between local1 ,commonwealth1 and ,federal entities2 7iii7 protecting grassroots leadership and survivor-centered solutions2 and 7iv7 ensuring disaster-resilient service delivery4 7#b7 ,analysis of governmental response to femicide ,upon concluding the study required by subsection 7a71 the ,comptroller ,general shall evaluate-- 7,a7 the ,puerto ,rican ,government's current policies and institutional strategies to prevent femicide and gender-based violence1 with emphasis on analyzing-- 7i7 public education campaigns2 7ii7 strategic plans and ,executive orders2 and 7iii7 budget allocations and implementation status2 7,b7 the effectiveness of education-focused governmental initiatives compared to-- 7i7 law enforcement reform2 7ii7 survivor services and safe housing2 7iii7 judicial accountability2 or 7iv7 mental health and trauma support2 7,c7 the extent to which education-centered approaches address-- 7i7 root causes versus symptoms2 7ii7 urgent protection versus long-term cultural change2 or 7iii7 urban versus rural disparities2 and 7,d7 the results of input from civil society1 survivors1 and impacted communities on effectiveness1 gaps1 delays or displacement of interventions1 including cases where civil society data or monitoring efforts identify inconsistencies with official reporting4 7c7 ,inclusion of local organizations and community participants ,in carrying out the study required by subsection 7a71 the ,comptroller ,general shall-- 7#a7 actively engage with ,puerto ,rican local organizations1 such as-- 7,a7 women's organizations and shelters2 7,b7 ,,lgbtq advocacy groups2 7,c7 survivor-led initiatives2 7,d7 youth and disability rights advocates2 and 7,e7 academic institutions and researchers including entities that maintain independent monitoring or data-collection initiatives in the absence of formalized governmental systems2 and 7#b7 include as a part of such engagement-- 7,a7 community roundtables and listening sessions2 7,b7 inclusion in research design and data interpretation2 and 7,c7 opportunities for written and oral testimony4 #d4 ,report 7a7 ,interim report ,the ,comptroller ,general shall publish an interim report not later than #bgj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 consisting of such findings as the ,comptroller ,general may have reached1 as of the date of the publication of the interim report1 with respect to the study required by section #c7;a7 and the additional elements required by section #c7;b74 7b7 ,final report ,not later than #edj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,comptroller ,general shall submit to ,congress and concurrently publish in a publicly available form in both ,english and ,spanish a report that includes-- 7#a7 all findings from the study required by section #c7;a72 7#b7 all additional elements required by section #c7;b72 7#c7 disaggregation of the data and findings by municipality in ,puerto ,rico2 7#d7 the evidence-based recommendations of the ,comptroller ,general with respect to-- 7,a7 enhancing or supplementing existing strategies to better balance prevention through education with structural reform and direct protections2 7,b7 integrating education within a comprehensive1 multi-sectoral strategy that incorporates law enforcement1 health systems1 social services1 and emergency management2 and 7,c7 building transparent1 measurable1 and participatory oversight systems1 including through periodic reporting1 public dashboards1 independent evaluations1 and survivor feedback mechanisms1 with particular attention to ensuring sustained funding1 public accessibility1 and long-term maintenance of any recommended data systems2 7#e7 a description of mechanisms for ongoing ,federal and local collaboration2 and 7#f7 any other policy1 funding1 data infrastructure or other recommendations the ,comptroller ,general determines appropriate1 whether addressed to ,federal entities or to agencies of the ,commonwealth of ,puerto ,rico1 as a result of concluding the study and analysis required by section #c1 including options for establishing or enhancing unified public data system on gender-based violence in ,puerto ,rico4