From the Outreach Team- Sheri Owen
Since 1981, National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW) is a time to renew our commitment to serving all victim/survivors of crime, to acknowledge the achievements in victim/survivor’s services and allied professionals, to honor those who have gone above and beyond in their service to others, and to remember crime victim and survivors.
Every April, the Office for Victim of Crime leads communities throughout the country in their annual observances of NCVRW. This year is the 40th anniversary.
Office for Victim of Crime selected the 2021 theme – Support Victim. Build Trust. Engage Communities. – that emphasizes the importance of leveraging community support to help victim/survivors of crime. In the last year, we have seen this in action as everyone across this country and the world has had to navigate COVID-19 and the challenges it presented. Victim service professionals and others who serve victim/survivors have had to adjust and reimagine the best ways to work with victim/survivors in these unfamiliar times. Advocates across the country worked tirelessly to engage with victim/survivors and connect them to services available to them, while also navigating changes in some systems and services.
NCVRW creates an opportunity for communities to come together and reflect on the history of crime victim/survivors’ rights. The landmarks in victim/survivors’ rights and services outline this progress from 1965 to the present. The link below tells the story of our Nation’s capacity to help crime victim/survivors rebuild their lives.
During NCVRW and throughout the year, we need to acknowledge all of our community partners who work with victim/survivors, the local policymakers who stand up for victim/survivors, the survivors who refuse to be silenced, and the victim whose memories will never fade.