Donate Today to Improve Victims' Rights in Puerto Rico

Donate Today to Help Introduce & Pass Puerto Rico’s New Victims’ Rights Bill

BACKGROUND

The Vivo Alliance Advocacy & Accountability Project was born from the lived experience of Karla Hernández, who faced overwhelming roadblocks in her pursuit of justice after surviving a violent sexual assault in December 2020. Despite her persistence, the justice system failed her — her case was closed without resolution, and her assailant was never held accountable.

After sharing her experience publicly, numerous other survivors reached out to her to share similar experiences, and Karla and her husband Gerald learned quickly that her experience reflected a much broader crisis. Across Puerto Rico, survivors are being retraumatized by a broken and unaccountable justice system. In response, they co-founded Vivo Alliance, a survivor-led nonprofit working to reform Puerto Rico’s legal and institutional response to sexual violence.

OUR PROJECT

Since 2023, Vivo Alliance has built a multi-phase campaign with national partners, researchers, and legal professionals to address this crisis and push for systemic reform.

With your help, we have:

-Raised over $161,000 in our first two years

-Partnered with faculty and students at the University of Puerto Rico Law School

-Conducted an in-depth comparative legal analysis of victims’ rights in all 50 U.S. states and 21 countries

-Drafted a full legislative proposal for a Victims’ Bill of Rights for Puerto Rico

-Published two in-depth reports in the UPR Legal Journal

-Formed strategic partnerships with national and local allies including RAINN, The Joyful Heart Foundation, LULAC, and Coordinadora Paz para la Mujer

-Engaged with government agencies, legislators, and policy leaders

-Been featured in multiple local and national media pieces, amplifying the voices of survivors and the urgency of reform

We are now preparing for the most important phase yet: ensuring the bill passes.

WHY WE’RE RAISING $75,000 BY DECEMBER 31

Thanks to our donors and partners, the legislative proposal is complete. Our next challenge is to make sure it becomes law — and momentum is on our side.

The Office of the President of the Senate, Thomas Rivera Schatz, has already expressed its commitment to introducing the bill next year. This represents a major breakthrough in our efforts — but introducing a bill is only the first step. Ensuring it passes requires sustained public pressure, strategic advocacy, and continued collaboration with government and community partners.

To prepare for the 2026 legislative session, we are raising $75,000 by the end of this year to launch a new phase of impact focused on:

-A survivor-centered public awareness and advocacy campaign to build broad public support for passing the bill

-Continued meetings with legislators, agency leaders, and government officials to secure endorsements and advance political will

-Expanded research into improving the management of forensic DNA evidence, including rape kit handling, tracking systems, and laboratory coordination

-Coalition-building among survivors, experts, legal professionals, and community organizations

-Supporting a small, full-time team to coordinate these efforts with transparency and accountability

This funding will allow us to drive the bill forward, mobilize public support, and strengthen the systems that protect survivors.

YOUR IMPACT

This is about more than one bill — it’s about transforming the system so survivors are no longer ignored, retraumatized, or dismissed.

Your donation today helps us:

-Bring survivors directly into the policymaking process

-Hold public institutions accountable

-Advance Puerto Rico’s first survivor-led Victims’ Bill of Rights

-Improve how forensic DNA evidence is managed, so cases are not lost due to preventable failures

Every contribution strengthens the movement toward a safer, more just Puerto Rico.

TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS

Vivo Alliance is proudly partnered with Integro Foundation, a 501(c)(3)/PR 1101 nonprofit organization that serves as our legal and fiscal sponsor. All donations made here are fully tax-deductible.

ACT 20/22/60 DONORS:

Your donation qualifies under Act 60 requirements. After donating, you will receive a receipt from Every.org, and Integro Foundation will also send you an official qualifying tax exemption receipt.

Thank you for helping us turn pain into purpose — and purpose into lasting change.

Website: www.vivoalliance.org
Email: vivoalliancefoundation@gmail.com