Short title

This Act may be cited as the

Violence Impact and Vulnerabilities Assessment Study Act

or the

VIVAS Act

Findings

Congress finds the following:(1)Gender-based violence, including femicides, domestic abuse, and sexual violence constitutes a serious public health and human rights crisis in Puerto Rico, disproportionately affecting women, the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as other vulnerable and marginalized communities.(2)This type of violence can take many forms, including physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological harm.(3)Existing data on gender violence in Puerto Rico is fragmented and insufficient, impeding effective policy responses and resource allocation, in part due to the absence of a unified and transparent public data system capable of integrating information across governmental and non-governmental sources.(4)The role of local organizations and community advocates is critical in addressing the crisis, yet their contributions are not adequately documented or integrated into formal government strategies.(5)There is a pressing need for a comprehensive, culturally informed, and data-driven assessment of gender violence in Puerto Rico, including an evaluation of governmental policies, educational approaches, and community-based interventions.(6)Such an assessment should include an independent and thorough study on the causes, impact, and systemic responses to gender-based violence in Puerto Rico, with particular attention to cultural context, economic conditions, infrastructure challenges, and the role of local organizations, in order to effectively inform Federal and local policy and programming, as well as sustainable investments in reliable, publicly accessible data systems.

Comprehensive study on gender-based violence in Puerto Rico

(a)

Comptroller General

The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a comprehensive study on gender-based violence in Puerto Rico. The study shall assess each of the following:(1)The prevalence, severity, and types of gender violence across Puerto Rico, disaggregated by demographic and geographic factors, including—(A)detailed analysis of methods and patterns of violence (e.g., physical force, weapons, coercive control, economic dependence, digital abuse);(B)the settings in which violence occurs (e.g., home, workplace, public space); and(C)the relationship between victim and perpetrator.(2)Historical and recent trends, including changes after—(A)natural disasters (such as hurricanes Maria and Fiona);(B)economic crises and austerity measures; and(C)the COVID–19 pandemic.(3)The manner and extent of the effects on the prevalence, severity, and types of gender violence of cultural norms, structural poverty and economic dependency, gender identity and sexual orientation, educational disparities and unemployment, inadequate transportation, housing, utility infrastructure, climate vulnerability and disaster risk, and other factors the Comptroller General may determine relevant.(4)Institutional response and capacity, including with respect to—(A)law enforcement and judicial practices;(B)health and social service systems;(C)shelter access and emergency housing;(D)access to mental health and trauma care; and(E)and substance use disorder treatment.(5)Barriers to prevention, protection, and justice, such as under-reporting due to stigma and fear, inaccessibility of services in rural areas, police and prosecutorial shortcomings, or lack of culturally competent or trauma-informed services.(6)The intersection of disaster events and gender violence, including the role of infrastructure collapse, displacement, and stressors in exacerbating violence and levels of access to shelters and services during and after disasters.(7)Data infrastructure and reporting systems, including:(A)existing Federal, Commonwealth, and local data systems;(B)gaps in reporting, accuracy, and demographic disaggregation; and(C)recommendations to improve data collection and transparency, including evaluation of the creation and implementation of a publicly accessible data system with clear standards for integration of governmental and civil-society-generated information.(8)Public access to femicide-related data and case updates, judicial outcomes and impunity rates, and Government accountability mechanisms and oversight, including current barriers to timely public disclosure and transparency.(b)

Additional elements

(1)

Organizational impact analysis

The study required by subsection (a) shall also include—(A)an examination of the reach of local interventions, the way local organizations and interventions work to fill systemic gaps to fill systemic gaps, and challenges in sustainability, infrastructure, and funding; and(B)recommendations for—(i)increasing support and additional funding to local Puerto Rican organizations;(ii)improving coordination between local, Commonwealth, and Federal entities;(iii)protecting grassroots leadership and survivor-centered solutions; and(iv)ensuring disaster-resilient service delivery.(2)

Analysis of governmental response to femicide

Upon concluding the study required by subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall evaluate—(A)the Puerto Rican Government’s current policies and institutional strategies to prevent femicide and gender-based violence, with emphasis on analyzing—(i)public education campaigns; (ii) strategic plans and Executive orders; and (iii)budget allocations and implementation status;(B)the effectiveness of education-focused governmental initiatives compared to—(i)law enforcement reform;(ii)survivor services and safe housing;(iii)judicial accountability; or(iv)mental health and trauma support;(C)the extent to which education-centered approaches address—(i)root causes versus symptoms;(ii)urgent protection versus long-term cultural change; or(iii)urban versus rural disparities; and(D)the results of input from civil society, survivors, and impacted communities on effectiveness, gaps, delays or displacement of interventions, including cases where civil society data or monitoring efforts identify inconsistencies with official reporting.(c)

Inclusion of local organizations and community participants

In carrying out the study required by subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall—(1)actively engage with Puerto Rican local organizations, such as—(A)women’s organizations and shelters;(B)LGBTQ+ advocacy groups;(C)survivor-led initiatives;(D)youth and disability rights advocates; and(E)academic institutions and researchers including entities that maintain independent monitoring or data-collection initiatives in the absence of formalized governmental systems; and(2)include as a part of such engagement—(A)community roundtables and listening sessions;(B)inclusion in research design and data interpretation; and(C)opportunities for written and oral testimony.

Report

(a)

Interim report

The Comptroller General shall publish an interim report not later than 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, consisting of such findings as the Comptroller General may have reached, as of the date of the publication of the interim report, with respect to the study required by section 3(a) and the additional elements required by section 3(b).(b)

Final report

Not later than 540 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to Congress and concurrently publish in a publicly available form in both English and Spanish a report that includes—(1)all findings from the study required by section 3(a);(2)all additional elements required by section 3(b);(3)disaggregation of the data and findings by municipality in Puerto Rico;(4)the evidence-based recommendations of the Comptroller General with respect to—(A)enhancing or supplementing existing strategies to better balance prevention through education with structural reform and direct protections;(B)integrating education within a comprehensive, multi-sectoral strategy that incorporates law enforcement, health systems, social services, and emergency management; and(C)building transparent, measurable, and participatory oversight systems, including through periodic reporting, public dashboards, independent evaluations, and survivor feedback mechanisms, with particular attention to ensuring sustained funding, public accessibility, and long-term maintenance of any recommended data systems;(5)a description of mechanisms for ongoing Federal and local collaboration; and(6)any other policy, funding, data infrastructure or other recommendations the Comptroller General determines appropriate, whether addressed to Federal entities or to agencies of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, as a result of concluding the study and analysis required by section 3, including options for establishing or enhancing unified public data system on gender-based violence in Puerto Rico.