BACKGROUND

The Vivo Alliance Advocacy & Accountability Project was inspired by Karla Hernandez's futile pursuit of justice following her brutal attack and sexual assault in December 2020. She faced continuous roadblocks within the Puerto Rican justice system, which favors the perpetrators of these horrific crimes over their victims. More than two and a half years after her ordeal, no progress had been made in holding her assailant accountable and her case was finally closed with no resolution, leaving the violent perpetrator at liberty, free to rape again. After consulting with legal professionals and other assault victims, as well as non-profit organizations battling the scourge of gender/sexual violence, Karla and her husband Gerald came to the conclusion that there is a systemic problem—that victims of sexual assault are at the mercy of a dysfunctional system. With gender-based violence at alarming levels in Puerto Rico, Karla and Gerald decided to turn their pain into purpose and start Vivo Alliance – a non-profit organization committed to supporting survivors, and exposing and addressing the systemic flaws within the Puerto Rico criminal justice system that contribute to this epidemic of violence against women.

OUR PROJECT

Working in collaboration with Puerto Rican legal experts, such as Orlandy Cabrera Valentin, Esq. (Assistant Solicitor General of Puerto Rico), Vivo Alliance is assembling a team of legal and research professionals, alongside graduate students from The University of Puerto Rico Law School, who will embark on a comprehensive 6-part project to take on this issue. They will gather critical information about the severity of the problem, identify systemic deficiencies, and formulate evidence-based solutions. These solutions will be promoted to the public and to legislators and policy-makers, with the end goal of strengthening victims' rights and helping to ensure that perpetrators are prosecuted and the justice system is held accountable.  Thanks to our amazing donors thus far, we exceeded our initial end-of-year crowdfunding goal of $30k, and raised a total of $33,497.  With that initial capital, we have embarked on the first 3 parts of our 6-part project, in which we have completed Part 1, and are currently working on Parts 2&3* (see below for details).

YOUR SUPPORT IS VITAL

Now, we are fundraising for Part 4 of our project. We have a unique, time-sensitive opportunity to collaborate with the UPR Law School during their 2024 summer break, and we need to raise $53,192 by May 31, 2024, in order to fund the necessary team members during a 3-month period. The team includes: 4 graduate students from the University of Puerto Rico Law School, a Project Director, an Operations Manager, and part-time positions for a Research Validation Specialist, Spanish to English Translator, and Criminal Research Coordinator. This team will complete an in-depth analysis of Puerto Rico’s laws relating to sexual assault, identifying deficiencies that contribute to failures in the processing, handling, and adjudication of these cases. At the same time, we will also complete an analysis of the best legal practices related to sexual assault, across the U.S. and in select countries around the globe, which show evidence for increasing success in these areas. Using the results of these analyses, our team will draft law and policy proposals that can be implemented in Puerto Rico, as well as at the federal level, with the intended outcome of improving sexual assault victims’ rights and bringing more perpetrators to justice.

Your support is vital to the success of this project. Please click the donate button today, and please share this campaign, to not only help ensure that victims of sexual assault are given a legitimate voice, but to bring violent perpetrators to justice so they are not free to attack again.

Vivo Alliance is proudly partnered in this project with Integro Foundation, a 501c3/1101 non-profit organization. They are our legal and fiscal agent in this project, and as such all donations made are tax-deductible, and qualify under the Act 20/22/60 requirements for Puerto Rico donors. (Puerto Rico is a territory of the U.S. and subject to its tax laws).

For further information, or to get involved, please visit our website https://www.vivoalliance.org/ or contact us at vivoalliancefoundation@gmail.com.

*6-part Project Overview: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Fh8BMdXCb_6XrexFECaLdiV9LaKr5sZ8/view?usp=sharing