The Judicial Branch and Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico Present New Interactive Form for Requesting Restraining Orders under Law 54 

Through this alliance, they seek to put new technologies at the service of gender-based violence survivors for greater access, agility and convenience.

Press Release

The process for survivors of domestic and gender-based violence to request a restraining order will count with a new tool, strengthening legal support and access to justice. The interactive form, part of the first legal document automation project in Puerto Rico, was created to facilitate the process of requesting a restraining order under Law 54, arises after a collaboration agreement between Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico and the Judicial Branch, putting technology at the service of those facing these types of violence. This alliance was established in a press conference convened by both entities. The interactive form will be available, as of today, on the statewide website www.ayudalegalpr.org and the Judicial Branch’s portal www.ramajudicial.pr/violencianoesamor.

“It is unacceptable that every 7 days a femicide happens in Puerto Rico and the Judicial Branch will not remain with their arms crossed in the face of this crisis. In addition to the daily efforts through our specialized court rooms and other projects, this year we launched an educational initiative that helps persons identify signs of abuse and know where and how to seek help. We are convinced that education, the use of technology and collaboration with other entities are effective and necessary strategies needed to eradicate gender violence. That is why today, as part of these efforts, we present, together with Ayuda Legal, the interactive form that simplifies the process of completing a restraining order in the courts,” said Hon. Maite D. Oronoz Rodríguez, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico.

A restraining order is an order issued by a court forbidding an aggressor from approaching, communicating by any means, threatening, disturbing or harassing the protected person in any way, among others. This is a civil remedy that can be simultaneously requested with the filing of a complaint for the same facts. Within the process of requesting a restraining order, the court can also grant custody, parental rights, alimony, personal property collection and common property provisional remedies among others.  These temporary remedies will last the amount of time granted in the restraining order. Situations of domestic violence often have further complications that require the intervention of the Courts, which is why they are included in the same process.

Ariadna Godreau Aubert, human rights attorney and Executive Director of Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico stated: “We face a national emergency in Puerto Rico due to gender-based violence, particularly against women and people of the LGBTTIQ community. Gender violence is human rights violation. Any person who understands they have suffered domestic violence can request a restraining order, regardless of their gender, marital status or immigration status. The process should not be an obstacle but a space of support for the survivor. This interactive form is a step forward in that direction, making it easier to complete the petition, while educating and providing support”. She added that “the creation of tools that support the survivors, most of them women who primarily suffer from these types of violence, is part of Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico’s commitment that no person should be left alone in the face of human rights violations and knowing your rights is power.”

This interactive form facilitating the process of requesting a restraining order was designed David Rodríguez Andino, Access to Justice and Technology Coordinator for Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico. The design process counted on the counsel and advice of Noeli Pérez de la Torre, community lawyer of the entity, with an extensive experience as a legal advocate in these types of cases. The form was also prepared with the input of more than 30 legal advocates and experts in the field of domestic violence, who tested and helped improve the tool.

On the interactive form and its complementary relationship with legal advocates, Pérez de la Torre added that it “facilitates and speeds up the work of legal advocacy. It helps reduce the waiting time in Court and allows the survivor the option of completing the petition in the offices of entities that offer legal advocacy and case management services, or from anywhere through a computer or cell phone. In this way, technology allows us to approach survivors instead of requiring them to approach us, providing support and facilitating access to justice for survivors of gender-based violence”
 

Contacts:

Madeline Ramírez Rivera, R-129 – Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico / (787) 225-3466
Daniel Rodríguez-León, R-588 – Judicial Branch / (787) 505-9293