Domestic Violence Claim Chile (Demanda de Violencia Intrafamiliar)

A Domestic Violence Claim Chile (Demanda de Violencia Intrafamiliar) is a formal judicial petition governed by Ley N° 20.066 of 7 October 2005 — Chile's primary statute combating intrafamily violence — and its coordination framework under Ley N° 19.968 on Tribunales de Familia, through which a victim of domestic violence (víctima de violencia intrafamiliar) formally requests the Tribunal de Familia to declare that violence has occurred, issue protective measures (medidas cautelares) against the aggressor, and impose remedial and preventive measures under Ley 20.066 Articles 7 through 9. The claim is one of the most urgent family law proceedings in the Chilean legal system — the Tribunal de Familia must hold an initial hearing (audiencia preparatoria) within five business days of receiving the complaint under Ley 19.968 Article 92.

Ley N° 20.066 defines violencia intrafamiliar (intrafamily violence) in Article 5 as any act of physical or psychological violence (maltrato físico o psíquico) committed by a current or former family member against another family member, where family member encompasses: current or former spouses; civil union partners (convivientes civiles under Ley N° 20.830); parents of a common child; and any person in a past or present intimate relationship (relación de convivencia), including unmarried partners who have or had a dating relationship (relación de pareja). The definition reflects the inter-institutional guidance of the Servicio Nacional de la Mujer y Equidad de Género (SernamEG) — the state body responsible for gender equity policy under the Ministerio de la Mujer y Equidad de Género created by Ley N° 20.820 of 2015.

The Ley 20.066 framework distinguishes between two legal pathways depending on the severity of the violence: (1) civil/family proceedings before the Tribunal de Familia for cases that do not constitute criminal offenses — applying to psychological violence, threats (amenazas), and minor physical acts that do not cause bodily harm; and (2) criminal proceedings before the Ministerio Público and Juzgado de Garantía or Juzgado de Letras del Crimen for cases constituting criminal violations — including lesiones (bodily injury under Código Penal Articles 395–403), femicidio/femicidio frustrado (under Código Penal Article 390 as amended by Ley N° 21.212 of 2020), and acoso (stalking under Ley N° 20.066 Article 6). Criminal cases are coordinated by the Unidades de Violencia Intrafamiliar (UVIF) of the Ministerio Público, with dedicated UVIF prosecutors in each regional Fiscalía.

The Tribunal de Familia proceeding under Ley 20.066 is designed primarily for protection and remediation rather than punishment — it operates on civil evidentiary standards (preponderance of evidence — sana crítica) rather than criminal beyond-reasonable-doubt standards. The Tribunal de Familia may issue medidas cautelares (protective orders) before the full hearing — including expulsion of the aggressor from the family home (salida del hogar), approach prohibition orders (prohibición de acercamiento), and temporary custody and visitation orders affecting children in the household — all immediately enforceable by Carabineros de Chile under Ley 20.066 Article 15.

The SernamEG operates the Casa de Acogida (emergency shelter) network throughout Chile's regions, providing temporary housing for women and their children fleeing domestic violence situations. The Centros de la Mujer (Women's Centers), funded by SernamEG and operated by municipal governments (municipalidades) and civil society organizations (organizaciones de la sociedad civil — OSC), provide free psychological counseling, legal advice, and social support to domestic violence victims navigating both the family and criminal justice systems.

A Domestic Violence Claim Chile under Ley N° 20.066 is required or strongly advisable in the following specific situations:

Physical or Psychological Violence by a Family Member: When any person covered by the Ley 20.066 Article 5 definition — including current or former spouses, civil union partners (AUC under Ley N° 20.830), parents of common children, and former romantic partners — commits acts of physical aggression (golpes, empujones, bofetadas) or systematic psychological violence (insultos reiterados, humillación, control aislante, amenazas) against the victim. The demanda de violencia intrafamiliar triggers the Tribunal de Familia's protective jurisdiction even for a first incident, as Ley 20.066 Article 7 does not require a pattern of repeated violence to authorize medidas cautelares.

Emergency Protective Order Situations: When the victim needs immediate legal protection — including expulsion of the aggressor from the family home (salida del hogar under Ley 20.066 Article 9 letra a), a prohibition on the aggressor approaching the victim's home, workplace, or children's school (prohibición de acercamiento), or temporary child custody protection — the Tribunal de Familia can issue emergency protective orders (medidas cautelares urgentes) ex parte (before hearing the aggressor) under Ley 19.968 Article 92 based solely on the victim's sworn declaration and available evidence.

Police Report Follow-Up: When Carabineros de Chile or the Policía de Investigaciones de Chile (PDI) have attended a domestic violence incident (denuncia policial por violencia intrafamiliar) under Ley 20.066 Article 15 and issued a Police Report (parte policial), the victim or the Carabineros themselves — who are legally mandated to report domestic violence incidents to the Tribunal de Familia or Ministerio Público under Ley 20.066 Article 15 inciso 2 — must follow up with a formal demanda to convert the emergency police intervention into a judicially supervised protection process.

Violence Affecting Minor Children: When domestic violence in the family household directly or indirectly affects minor children — through direct abuse, witnessing violence between parents (violencia presenciada), or exposure to a household environment of fear and control — the SernamEG, Servicio Mejor Niñez, or any person with knowledge of the child's situation may file a protection petition (medida de protección) on behalf of the child before the Tribunal de Familia under Ley 19.968 Article 68. The demanda de violencia intrafamiliar and the protection petition (medida de protección) are often filed simultaneously.

Civil Coordination with Criminal Proceedings: When the domestic violence constitutes a criminal offense — lesiones less-than-grievous (lesiones menos graves), lesiones grievous (lesiones graves, under CP Article 397), or femicidio under CP Article 390 — and the victim is simultaneously pursuing criminal charges before the Ministerio Público (through a denuncia at the Fiscalía or Comisaría), the civil demanda de violencia intrafamiliar before the Tribunal de Familia provides complementary civil protection orders while the criminal case proceeds. The two proceedings are coordinated under Ley 20.066 Article 16's inter-institutional coordination mandate.

A valid Domestic Violence Claim Chile under Ley N° 20.066 Articles 6–9 and Ley N° 19.968 must include the following essential elements:

Victim Identification and Protected Status: Full legal name, RUN, date of birth, domicile (and alternative secure domicile if the victim is at risk at their registered address), contact information (phone and email — noting any communication safety concerns), and nationality of the victim. Confirm the victim's protected status under Ley 20.066 Article 5: specify the relationship with the aggressor — current or former spouse, civil union partner (AUC under Ley N° 20.830), parent of common child, or former romantic partner. Include any minor children or elderly family members (persons over sixty) in the household who are also affected, as they qualify for additional protection under Ley N° 21.013 of 2017.

Aggressor Identification: Full legal name, RUN (if known), date of birth, current domicile, and any known employment location of the person against whom protection is sought. If the victim fears the aggressor knows their planned refuge location, request that the victim's secure address be withheld from the aggressor in the Tribunal proceedings under Ley 19.968 Article 15 (protection of sensitive personal data in family proceedings).

Description of the Violence (Relación de los Hechos): A chronological, factual description of all incidents of physical violence (maltrato físico — specify each incident's date, location, type of aggression, and resulting injuries), psychological violence (maltrato psíquico — including systematic insults, threats, humiliation, isolation from family and friends, economic control, and surveillance), and sexual violence (violencia sexual — if applicable, noting this may also trigger criminal charges under CP Articles 361–376 through a separate denuncia to the Ministerio Público). Each incident should include: exact date (or approximate date if exact date is unknown), place of occurrence, witnesses present, and any police reports (partes policiales) or emergency medical records (atenciones de urgencia en SAPU, CESFAM, or hospital de urgencias) documenting the incident.

Evidence Available: List all available documentary evidence to attach to or reference in the claim: photographs of injuries (fotografías de lesiones), medical certificates (certificados médicos) from the Servicio de Urgencias, SAPU, or treating physician documenting injuries; Carabineros or PDI police reports (partes policiales or actas de denuncia); written communications evidencing threats (mensajes de texto, WhatsApp screenshots, emails); witness names and contact information; prior Tribunal de Familia or criminal court orders related to the parties; SernamEG counseling records; and any restraining or protection orders from other jurisdictions.

Protective Measures Requested (Medidas Cautelares Solicitadas): Specific list of the protective measures requested from the Tribunal de Familia under Ley 20.066 Article 9: (a) expulsion of the aggressor from the family home (salida del hogar); (b) prohibition on the aggressor approaching the victim or returning to the family home (prohibición de acercarse); (c) prohibition on the aggressor approaching the victim's workplace or children's school (prohibición de acercarse al lugar de trabajo o de estudio); (d) prohibition on communication with the victim (prohibición de comunicación); (e) temporary custody of minor children to the victim; (f) provisional child support (alimentos provisorios under Ley 19.968 Article 88); and (g) surrender of firearms (entrega de armas — requesting the Tribunal to order the aggressor's Carabineros registry weapons surrendered, especially relevant if the aggressor is an active or retired police or military officer).

Remedial Measures Requested (Medidas Accesorias): Remedial orders available under Ley 20.066 Articles 8–9 including: mandatory psychological counseling (asistencia obligatoria a programas terapéuticos) for the aggressor at a COSAM (Community Mental Health Center) or SernamEG-accredited treatment program; mandatory participation in a violence awareness program (programa de rehabilitación para agresores); community service (trabajos comunitarios); and prohibition on alcohol consumption. Request the Tribunal to require the aggressor to report compliance with these measures to the court every thirty days.

Forms-legal.com provides this Domestic Violence Claim Chile template as a reference for victims seeking judicial protection under Ley N° 20.066. Victims should contact the SernamEG Fono Mujer (nationwide free hotline: 1455), Carabineros de Chile (133 emergency), or the Corporación de Asistencia Judicial (CAJ) for immediate free legal assistance and safety planning. For immediate danger situations, call Carabineros de Chile (133) immediately. Los usuarios de forms-legal.com pueden descargar este documento de forma gratuita en formato PDF o DOCX, completar los campos del formulario guiado y obtener un documento listo para firma.