Santo Domingo.- The Cabinet for Women, Adolescents and Girls has submitted to the Chamber of Deputies a draft bill known as the Mirabal Law, which seeks to strengthen the Dominican Republic’s legal framework and establish a coordinated state response to violence against women.
The proposal was presented at the National Congress by Minister of Women Gloria Reyes, alongside congressional leaders and representatives of the justice and security sectors. Reyes said the initiative aims to overcome the fragmentation of institutional services so women facing violence can receive protection without having to navigate multiple agencies.
“A woman in danger shouldn’t have to find many doors. She should find only one State,” Reyes said.
The bill was developed through an inter-institutional process involving the Ministry of Women, the Public Ministry, the Ministry of the Interior and Police, the National Police, women’s organizations, feminist groups and human rights advocates. It incorporates recommendations based on case analysis, gaps in services and years of demands for comprehensive legislation.
The proposal would establish clear responsibilities for state institutions to prevent violence, protect women at risk, ensure timely assistance, strengthen investigations and prosecutions, impose sanctions and guarantee reparations. It also seeks to improve protection for victims and their children and ensure that coordination between agencies is supported by defined responsibilities, resources and monitoring mechanisms.
Congresswoman Kinsberly Taveras, promoter of the “Let Her Go” legislative initiative, said the bill builds on more than two decades of work by women’s organizations and public institutions to address gender-based violence.
Minou Tavárez Mirabal welcomed the proposal and called for an update to Law 24-97 based on the lessons learned from its implementation. She also highlighted the significance of naming the legislation after Patria, Minerva and María Teresa Mirabal, whose legacy has become an international symbol of resistance to violence and oppression.
The proponents have asked Congress to give the bill priority, establish a special bicameral commission to study and harmonize it with the Penal Code, and seek final approval in November 2026, coinciding with the commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.