Governor helps draw attention to gender violence

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi declared a state of emergency Sunday over the island’s gender violence crisis, a measure local groups have demanded from the government for years.

The executive order — which allocates public resources to address femicides and other forms of violence against women — is considered an important step in addressing a longexisting issue that jumped back into the spotlight after a recent homicide.

The emergency declaration, established through an executive order, implements a series of wideranging policies to combat

gender violence there.