Stance against
Gender Based Violence
The María Fund is made up of a diverse team of people working to co-create and strengthen an ecosystem of social justice leaders that are moving us towards fulfilling a vision of a Puerto Rico where we are free, interdependent, and interconnected people.
This commitment extends itself to the denunciation of any act of violence that threatens the integrity and dignity of women and persons in the LGBTTQIA + community, as we work to defend a just and equitable society, one that is non-discriminatory of a person's gender, identity and/or race. We will continue to raise our voices: for those who have been silenced in our country, victims of ideologies that promote and perpetuate a lack of respect for equity, diversity and a dignified life for all.
We assume a moral, personal and organizational responsibility to center the voices and demands of the organizations, leaders, women, LGBTTQIA+ community that are denouncing and condemning all acts of violence, aggressions, supporting survivors and their families, speaking up against violence and transmitting to future generations respect for life and equality.
We support the urgent demand to declare a State of Emergency in the face of the rampant wave of cases of gender violence and demand the government of Puerto Rico and the corresponding authorities respond promptly and diligently to prevent any future incidents. We also join in solidarity with the pain of family and friends who are seeking justice for the unsolved murders, assaults, and disappearances of mothers, daughters, sisters and friends whose lives have been forgotten and archived.
We also would like to make mention of the work and initiatives that the following organizations have done to address this issue and have proposed concrete short and long term solutions. Please follow them to learn more about their efforts
Some of the organizations
We are convinced that the government does not yet have the structures and tools to implement strategies that put a stop to this ongoing fight against sexist violence, and strongly reaffirm our support for groups, organizations and leaders who fight to keep women, trans-gendred persons safe from all manifestations of violence, reject all those who exercise it, and promote social change and on the grounds of zero tolerance towards machismo.
We are complicit if we remain silent.