National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (April 10-16, 2011)

“The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it.” --Thomas S. Monson

Every April since 1981, the Office for Victims of Crime of the U.S. Department of Justice has hosted a National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. This year’s theme is Reshaping the Future, Honoring the Past.

Reshaping the Future, Honoring the Past applauds the power of victims and the victims’ rights movement to transform lives and change the course of history. The 2011 NCVRW theme honors victims, underscoring the nation’s duty to respect and support their efforts to reclaim their lives. As it calls on us to reflect on past achievements, this theme also challenges us to confront persistent shortcomings in our nation’s treatment of victims. Only 2 to 15 percent of crime victims access needed victim services, such as crisis and mental health counseling, shelter, information, financial assistance, and advocacy within the criminal and juvenile justice systems. Victims’ rights vary significantly from state to state and between states and the federal government. Furthermore, many victims do not know they have legal rights. This is the case with many of our clients as they are often foreign-born, being either a victim of human trafficking or an immigrant victim of domestic violence. Both human trafficking and domestic violence are of course, terrible crimes.

The impact of the recent recession—both on donations to nonprofit victim services and on city, state, and county budgets—means that fewer victim assistance programs are available or they have decreased in capacity to serve the growing need. National Crime Victims’ Rights Week calls our nation to take up these challenges—to reshape the future by facing our failures and building on the successes of the past. Likewise, Mosaic is calling our local community to join us in facing these challenges. Although this challenge may seem overwhelming, together we each can do something simply by raising awareness for the unique needs of victims of crime- in this case domestic violence and human trafficking.

Click here for more information and ideas about things you can do in your community to celebrate National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.

Don’t forget that our 2nd Annual 5k and 1 Mile Family Fun Run is coming up in just over a month. The beauty of this work lies in the transformation of a VICTIM into a SURVIVOR. You can be a part of that transformation as the proceeds will directly benefit the survivors we serve. Click here to register or find out more information.