Venezuelan Universities Form Legal Aid Network for Earthquake Victims

Five Venezuelan universities—Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB), Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV), Universidad Metropolitana (UNIMET), Universidad Monteávila (UMA) and Universidad Santa María (USM)—signed an agreement to create the Red de Clínicas Jurídicas Ampliadas (RED CJ+). The network will provide free, standardized legal assistance to individuals and communities affected by the twin earthquakes of 24 June, covering case analysis, advice, document drafting and support for administrative and non‑contentious judicial procedures. Services will address needs such as guardianship for orphaned children, death‑certificate processing and domestic‑violence cases. The initiative operates for an initial two‑year period, renewing automatically while the emergency persists, and will use a coordinated triage system with a single contact line and WhatsApp support to capture and manage requests.

The collaboration aims to streamline legal aid, avoid duplicated efforts, and ensure that affected families can access justice without additional barriers during the recovery phase.