In short
Act 138 of 2026 adds Article 2.003A to the Puerto Rico Municipal Code (Act 107-2020) to require every municipality, through its mayor, to designate a municipal official as the Municipal Liaison for Women's Affairs and Domestic Violence Victims. That liaison serves as the first point of support for victims or survivors of gender violence within the municipality: orienting them on their rights and legal remedies, assisting in managing and processing protection orders, facilitating referrals to the Women's Advocate Office (OPM) and other agencies, and channeling any other service related to the victim's needs. The liaison must complete six annual hours of OPM training, and the municipality must first establish Act 54-1989's confidentiality protocols before designating them. Municipalities had ninety days to implement it.
What is it?
It is a person designated within your own municipality — not a distant state agency — whose function is to be the first point of support if you are a victim of gender-based or domestic violence: orienting you on your rights, helping you process a protection order, and connecting you with the Women's Advocate Office and other agencies.
Who can do it?
Every person who is a victim or survivor of gender-based or domestic violence within their municipality's territorial boundaries can turn to the Municipal Liaison for Women's Affairs and Domestic Violence Victims designated by their mayor.
Requirements
Information pending verification.
Documents you need
Information pending verification.
Cost
Step by step
Step 1: Look for the Municipal Liaison at your city hall
Every municipality, through its mayor, must designate a municipal official as the Municipal Liaison for Women's Affairs and Domestic Violence Victims.
Step 2: Ask for orientation on your rights and remedies
The liaison "will offer guidance on your rights and the legal remedies available under current law."
Step 3: Ask for help processing a protection order
The liaison "will assist in managing and processing protection orders" — they do not represent you as an attorney, but they help with the process.
Step 4: Ask for the referral to the OPM or other agencies
The liaison "will facilitate referrals to the Office of the Women's Advocate (OPM) and other relevant agencies, as well as channel any other service or assistance related to the particular needs of victims or survivors."
Step 5: Your information follows Act 54-1989's confidentiality standard
Before designating the liaison, the municipality must have established the protocols or regulations needed to comply with Act 54-1989's legal confidentiality standard, the "Domestic Violence Prevention and Intervention Act."
Where to do it
At your own municipality: ask at city hall or the mayor's office for the Municipal Liaison for Women's Affairs and Domestic Violence Victims. We did not read a directory listing the names or contacts each municipality designated.
How long it takes
Municipalities had ninety (90) days from the law's effective date to implement the liaison designation. The designated official must complete six (6) contact hours of annual training offered by the OPM.
Verified against the official source · August 26, 2026
What to do if something goes wrong
What we do not publish, and why. We did not read the Act 54-1989 confidentiality standard this law points to, nor a directory of the liaisons each of the 78 municipalities designated, so we do not publish names, phone numbers or specific offices. A note on the date: the handwritten legislative stamp says "138 — July 15, 26," matching the OGP catalog's "138-2026" numbering, but the printed certification block on the same page says "Date: JULY 16, 2025" — a year off, which we flag without resolving. And one important precision: the liaison is not an attorney and does not replace legal representation; they accompany, orient and connect you with other services, but the final processing of a protection order still follows the ordinary judicial process.
Common mistakes
- Thinking the liaison is an attorney: they are not, and do not offer legal representation.
- Assuming every municipality already has this implemented: the law gave them ninety days from its effective date to do so.
- Not asking directly at city hall: since this is a new role, it may not be widely publicized yet.
- Believing the liaison replaces the OPM: their function is to help you reach the OPM and other agencies, not substitute for them.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Municipal Liaison for Women's Affairs do?
They serve as the first point of support for gender-violence victims in the municipality: orienting on rights, assisting with protection orders, and facilitating referrals to the OPM and other agencies.
Does every municipality have this liaison?
The law requires it in every Puerto Rico municipality, with a ninety-day deadline from its effective date to implement it.
Does the liaison need any special training?
Yes, six contact hours of specialized annual training, offered by the Office of the Women's Advocate.
Official sources
These are the government pages this guide is based on.
- Oficina de la Procuradora de las Mujeres (OPM)
Procuradora de las Mujeres
bvirtualogp.pr.gov
Last verified
August 26, 2026
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How to request a protection order without going to court
Requested online through the Electronic Court. Handled same day until 10:00 pm; outside those hours, go to the nearest police station.
Legal advocacy: who goes to court with you and what they can do
An OPM-certified legal advocate goes with you to hearings, helps you fill the protection order and builds a safety plan with you. They are not a lawyer.
Domestic violence in Puerto Rico: what Ley 54 covers and what you can ask the court for
The seven forms of violence Ley 54-1989 recognizes, the full list of protection-order remedies, and the escape plan.