Months into state of emergency, Puerto Rico finally approves $7 million to combat gender-based violence

Organizations in Puerto Rico have been demanding the government take action to end gender violence.

More than 100 days after declaring a state of emergency, Puerto Rico finally will have some funding to address an alarming rise in gender-based violence on the island. The Financial Oversight Management Board, which is in charge of the island's finances, on Wednesday approved a $7 million request by Gov. Pedro Pierluisi to be used for different programs aimed at preventing gender-based violence. "We favor the Fiscal Control Board's decision to allocate the $7 million budget ... for the implementation of public policy to eradicate sexist violence," Colectivo Feminista, a community-based group, wrote on Twitter. The international nonprofit Women for Women defines gender violence as violence directed at an individual based on their biological sex or gender identity. This includes physical, sexual, verbal and emotional abuse.