April 23 through 29 commemorates National Crime Victims Rights Week a time for us as individuals, as a community to join together and recognize the hurt and harm that victims endure in the aftermath of crime.
We can embody the theme of this special week, Victims Rights: Strength in Unity, by standing together in the fight against crime and for crime victims rights and services.
During this period, victim service providers, justice professionals and others seek to promote greater public awareness about a serious problem that affects our nation and its people.
The economic impact of crime in America is devastating in itself, resulting in significant damage to victims abilities to focus, function and work. The psychological impact may be more difficult to measure but is no less devastating. Many victims never report crime because of trauma and fear.
For those who do report crimes, we have much work to do to validate the harm they have endured, their voices and concerns, and their statutory rights as victims. And the physical impact results in people whose lives are irrevocably changed the robbery victim who is left a paraplegic, the family whose breadwinner is murdered, left to its own devices to survive and the battered woman who hides her bruises in hopes of hiding her chronic suffering.
ADVERTISEMENT
Victims and survivors of crime have simple, basic needs. They need to feel safe in reporting the crimes committed against them. And they need to be assured that they are not responsible for what happened, and that the persons who hurt them will be held accountable and brought to justice.
In our area, help can be a phone call away. At Someplace Safe, 1-800-974-3359
Unity in community epitomizes our collective strength that can benefit victims of crime each and every day.
Jill Fazio, Someplace Safe
Otter Tail Outreach, Intervention
