Family violence in Peru: how to report it and what the judge owes you within 48 hours
If there is danger right now: 105 (police) or 100 (the MIMP's Línea 100, free, 24 hours). To report you need no lawyer, pay no fee and need no medical certificate: you can do it at any police station, prosecutor's office or family court, and someone else can report on your behalf without your power of attorney. From the report to the protection measures, no more than 48 hours may pass.
VerificationVerified against the official sourceSee the sources ↓
- 5sources cited
- 5read at the official source
- 2official institutions
El Peruano · Peruvian State portal (gob.pe)
Checked 1 Oct 2026Next review 12 Mar 2027
This page describes the procedure and the official services; it is not legal advice and not an assessment of your situation.
Read moreRead less
Articles 15, 16, 22, 23-A and 45 were read in the text of Ley 31715 as published in El Peruano, which is the version of those articles in force. We do not reproduce the full list of protection measures in article 22 or the Regulation (DS 009-2016-MIMP), and we do not cover the criminal case that may run in parallel.
First, because sometimes it is all anyone gets to read
You can report without a lawyer, without paying anything and without a medical certificate, at any police station, prosecutor’s office or family court. Someone else can report on your behalf without holding your power of attorney. And from the moment the report is filed to the moment protection measures are issued, no more than 48 hours may pass.
If there is danger right now: 105 (police emergency) or 100 (the MIMP’s Línea 100, free, 24 hours, every day).
Who is protected
The statute is called the “Law to prevent, punish and eradicate violence against women and members of the family group”. That second half is rarely quoted and does a great deal of work: a son, a daughter, an older adult, a sibling, a cohabiting partner or a man assaulted by his partner are all covered by the same procedure. If the violence is against a child or adolescent with the excuse of “discipline”, see also why physical and humiliating punishment of children is banned in Peru.
Nor does it depend on your nationality or migration status. None of the rules cited here impose that condition.
Who may report
Article 15, in the text now in force, is explicit:
La denuncia puede ser interpuesta por la persona perjudicada o por cualquier otra en su favor, sin necesidad de tener su representación […] No se requiere firma de abogado, tasa o alguna otra formalidad.
Three practical consequences:
- A neighbour, a relative or a friend can report even if the person affected cannot bring themselves to. All that is asked is that whoever reports identifies themselves to the authority receiving it.
- The Ombudsman may also report.
- Health and education professionals must report cases they learn of in the course of their work. For them it is not optional.
The clock: 24 hours, 48 hours
This is the part almost nobody knows and the part worth being able to quote at a police station counter. Article 16 sets hard deadlines:
| Situation | Who acts | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| The assessment form records light, moderate or severe risk | Family court | 24 hours from learning of the report, to assess and rule in a hearing. At severe risk it may skip the hearing |
| Risk cannot be determined | Family court | 48 hours from learning of the report, to assess and rule in a hearing |
| From the report to the measures being issued | — | Never more than 48 hours |
| Communicating the measures to whoever must enforce them | Family court | Same day, by the fastest means, under responsibility |
Protection measures take effect immediately, whatever the risk level. That too is written into article 16.
What the judge can order
Article 22 lists the protection measures. Three are worth pulling out, because they answer the questions people actually ask:
1. Removing the aggressor from the home. Where severe risk is proven, or there is repeat offending or physical violence, removal and a ban on returning apply “independientemente de en quien recaiga la titularidad del inmueble” — whoever holds title to the property. The national police may enter the home to carry it out. If risk is moderate and the property belongs to the marital estate, the aggressor is first ordered to leave and, failing that, the police remove him. In light cases ownership is assessed.
2. A no-contact order. Covering the victim in any form, and her home, workplace, place of study, places of leisure and other places she regularly goes, at a distance the judge sets.
7. A freeze on shared property. The alleged aggressor may not dispose of, sell, destroy, move, hide or mortgage the movable or immovable property shared by the marital estate or the cohabiting couple.
Article 22’s list is longer. These three are the ones behind the most common questions.
Who enforces the measure
The national police. Article 23-A puts enforcement on them and imposes three concrete duties: keeping a graphic, georeferenced map of every victim holding notified measures, keeping a record of the police service performed in enforcing them, and opening a direct communication channel to handle and monitor requests for protection. They may coordinate with municipal serenazgo.
Article 45 repeats the duty on the Interior Ministry’s side: police stations must hold those maps and the updated register of victims with protection measures.
If you present a protection measure at a police station and are told there is no record of it, what you are looking at is a breach of those articles. Ask for that in writing and take it to the court that issued the measure.
The state services, and what each one does
| Service | What it is | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Línea 100 | Information, guidance, counselling and emotional support, in Quechua, Aymara and Spanish. Also takes calls about someone else’s situation | Free from landline or mobile, 24 hours, every day |
| Chat 100 | The same online, with professionals in real time | Confidential, 24 hours |
| Centro Emergencia Mujer y Familia (CEM) | Free legal advice, emotional support and social support | 436 nationwide; 186 inside police stations, 24/7 |
| Servicio de Atención Urgente (SAU) | Immediate attention at the scene, above all at moderate or severe risk | 8 sites: Lima, Arequipa, Huánuco, Cusco, La Libertad, Puno, Madre de Dios and Ayacucho |
| Servicio de Atención Rural (SAR) | Attention in rural areas and indigenous communities, culturally adapted | 68 teams across 23 regions |
| Hogar de Refugio Temporal (HRT) | Safe temporary accommodation with meals and full care, for the victim and her children | 29 across 23 regions |
The MIMP switchboard is (01) 419 7260.
What this page does not do
It does not assess your case and it does not replace a lawyer, and it does not describe the criminal case that may run alongside the special protection process. If you already hold a protection measure and it is not being enforced, that has its own route back to the court that issued it.
How to file
- If there is danger right now, call 105 or 100105 is the police emergency line. 100 is the MIMP's Línea 100: free from a landline or mobile anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, every day, in Quechua, Aymara and Spanish. It gives information, guidance and emotional support, and it also takes calls from people reporting someone else's situation.
- Report at a police station, the prosecutor's office or a family courtNo lawyer, no fee, no formality required. You can do it yourself or someone can do it for you. Ask that the risk assessment form be completed: the judge's deadline depends on it.
- Find a Centro Emergencia Mujer to go with youThey are free and multidisciplinary: legal advice, emotional support and social support. There are 436 across the country; 186 operate inside police stations, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The MIMP switchboard is (01) 419 7260.
- Count the hoursWith light, moderate or severe risk on the form, the family court has 24 hours from learning of the report to assess and rule in a hearing; at severe risk it may skip the hearing. If risk cannot be determined, it is 48 hours. In every case, no more than 48 hours may pass from report to measures.
- Measures take effect immediately — and the police answer for itThe court communicates the measures the same day and under responsibility. The national police enforce them, keep a georeferenced register of victims holding measures, and must open a direct channel to handle requests for protection. If nobody answers, that is a breach of the statute, not bad luck.
- If you cannot go home, ask about a Temporary Refuge HomeThere are 29 across 23 regions. They are safe, temporary places with accommodation, meals, psychological and social care, and they take the victim's children too. You request one through a CEM or Línea 100.
What most people believe — and what the law says
I need a lawyer and money to report.
Article 15 rules it out in so many words: «No se requiere firma de abogado, tasa o alguna otra formalidad» — no lawyer's signature, no fee, no other formality. Centros Emergencia Mujer give free legal advice, and 186 of them operate inside police stations around the clock.
It only protects women.
The full name of the statute is «violence against women and members of the family group». A child, an older adult, a sibling or a man assaulted by his partner is within the family group and uses the same procedure.
I can't report because the victim doesn't want to.
Anyone may report on another person's behalf with no power of attorney. All that is asked is that you identify yourself to the authority receiving the report. The Ombudsman may also file, and health and education professionals are obliged to report cases they learn of through their work.
The house is in his name, so they can't remove him.
Article 22.1 says the opposite for proven severe risk, repeat offending and physical violence: removal applies «independientemente de en quien recaiga la titularidad del inmueble», and the police may enter the home to carry it out. At moderate risk with marital property, he is first ordered to leave and, failing that, the police remove him.
I need a medical certificate or visible bruises.
Article 15 requires no prior examination to file. Risk is assessed by the authority using a standard form, and psychological, sexual and economic or property violence sit inside the law exactly as physical violence does.
I'm a foreigner, this doesn't cover me.
The law protects people who are in Peruvian territory; it does not condition the report on nationality or migration status. The police station, the CEM and Línea 100 all attend equally.
Frequently asked questions
If the form can't determine the risk level, how long does the court have to rule?
The family court has 48 hours from learning of the report to assess and rule in a hearing, instead of the 24 hours that apply when risk was identified as light, moderate or severe. Either way, no more than 48 hours may pass from the report to the protection measures being issued.
Besides removing the aggressor from the home, what other measures can the judge order?
Article 22 also includes a no-contact order covering the victim and the places she regularly goes — her home, workplace, place of study — at a distance the judge sets, and a ban on the aggressor disposing of, selling, destroying or hiding the couple's shared property. These measures take effect immediately, regardless of the risk level.
If I need somewhere safe to stay, what is a Temporary Refuge Home and how do I request one?
It's a safe, temporary place with accommodation, meals, and psychological and social care, which also takes in the victim's minor children. There are 29 Temporary Refuge Homes across 23 regions of the country, and you request one through a Centro Emergencia Mujer or Línea 100.
If I present my protection measure at a police station and they say they have no record of it, what do I do?
That's a breach of the law, not something you have to accept: the national police are required to keep a georeferenced map of every victim with notified measures and an updated register at each station. Ask for that in writing and take it to the family court that issued the measure.
The exact law
Ley N.º 30364Article 15 (text in force per Ley 31715)read
The report may be filed by the person harmed or by anyone on their behalf, with no power of attorney, no lawyer's signature and no fee
«La denuncia puede ser interpuesta por la persona perjudicada o por cualquier otra en su favor, sin necesidad de tener su representación […] No se requiere firma de abogado, tasa o alguna otra formalidad.»
↳Article 16 (text in force per Ley 31715)read
Deadlines in the special process — 24 hours where risk is identified, 48 where it cannot be, and a hard 48-hour cap to the measures
«El plazo desde que se presenta la denuncia hasta que se dictan las medidas de protección no puede exceder de cuarenta y ocho (48) horas»
↳Article 22, items 1, 2 and 7 (text in force per Ley 31715)read
Protection measures — removing the aggressor from the home whoever owns it, a no-contact order, and a ban on disposing of shared property
«Retiro del agresor del domicilio en el que se encuentra la víctima, así como la prohibición de regresar al mismo, en caso de riesgo severo acreditado, reincidencia, violencia física, independientemente de en quien recaiga la titularidad del inmueble»
↳Article 23-A (text in force per Ley 31715)read
The national police enforce protection measures and must open a direct communication channel with the victim
«La Policía Nacional del Perú es responsable de ejecutar las medidas de protección que se encuentren en el ámbito de sus competencias […] y habilitar un canal de comunicación directo, para atender y monitorear efectivamente el pedido de resguardo»
Ministry for Women and Vulnerable Populations (MIMP)Services for cases of violence (official guidance page)guidance
Línea 100, Chat 100, Centros Emergencia Mujer, the Urgent Care Service and Temporary Refuge Homes — what each one is and where they are
«La llamada es gratuita al número 100, desde un teléfono fijo o celular desde cualquier parte del país. La Línea 100 funciona las 24 horas, todos los días de la semana.»
Also searched as: how do I report domestic violence in peru · do I need a lawyer to report family violence · how long does a protection order take in peru · can I report on behalf of someone else · can they remove him if the house is in his name · what is linea 100 · reporting domestic violence as a foreigner in peru
Related
What are your rights if the police detain you in Peru?
From the first minute of a detention there are rights you can use. Which ones, and how.
ID & policeWhat can a police officer ask you for in an identity check in Peru?
An officer stops you and asks for papers. What they can ask for, and what they cannot.
ID & policeHow do I complain to Peru's Ombudsman, and what can it actually do?
Go to the Ombudsman, they say. What it can actually do with your complaint, and what it cannot.
Family & inheritanceLoss or suspension of parental authority (patria potestad) in Peru
Losing parental authority is not the same as having it suspended — and only one of the two can be recovered afterward.
Family & inheritanceElderly rights in Peru: what Law 30490 actually guarantees (and what it doesn't)
Law 30490 protects elderly people from abandonment and abuse — but the transit discount many people assume already exists still isn't law.
Family & inheritanceCan you hit a child to discipline them in Peru? Physical and humiliating punishment is banned
A smack, a shout, a put-down to discipline: what counts as banned punishment, and who to tell.
What this page already lets you do
- Name the rule that protects you
- Copy the exact article and send it
- Follow the steps, in order