April 6 through the 12 marks National Crime Victim's Rights Week. Winnemucca will commemorate our nation's progress in advancing victim's rights by hosting a Celebration at the Museum on April 12, 2014 from 12 - 3 p.m. hosted by Winnemucca Domestic Violence Services (WDVS). During this celebration there will be food, games, a scavenger hunt with prizes and free gifts to those who attend. WDVS will be joined by other community organizations with informational booths and give-away items also.
This year's theme, 30 years: Restoring the Balance of Justice - presents a perfect opportunity to salute statewide officials and local organizations and their long-term commitment to aiding crime victims. As we celebrate three decades of defending victim's rights, we are reminded of how far we have come-and how much work is yet to be done.
Only 30 years ago, crime victims had virtually no rights and no assistance. Victims were commonly excluded from courtrooms and denied the chance to speak at sentencing. They had no access to victim's compensation or services to help rebuild their lives. There were few avenues to deal with their emotional and physical wounds. Victims were on their own to recover their health, security, and dignity.
Today, the nation has made dramatic progress in securing rights, protections, and services for victims. Every state has enacted victims' rights laws and all have victim compensations programs. More than 10,000 victim service agencies now help people throughout the country. In 1984, Congress passed the bipartisan Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) which created a national fund to ease victims' suffering. Financed not by taxpayers but by fines and penalties paid by offenders, the Crime Victims Fund supports victim services, such as rape crisis and domestic violence programs and victim compensation programs that pay many of victims out-of-pocket expenses from the crime, such as counseling, funeral expenses, medical bills and lost wages.
As we move forward, we are increasingly expanding our reach to previously underserved victim populations, including victims of color, American Indians and Alaska Natives, adults
- See VOCA, Page 23 -
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molested as children, victims of elder abuse, and LGBTQ victims. Over three decades, VOCA pioneered efforts for victims of once hidden crimes, like domestic and sexual violence. Today, we are shining a spotlight on other abuses that have long been unreported and often not prosecuted-hate and bias crimes, bullying, and sex and labor trafficking, among others.
WDVS is proud to be a partner of VOCA and the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) by providing services to crime victims and assisting with the VOCP application. For additional information about 2014 National Crime Victims' Rights Week and how to help victims in your community, please contact WDVS at (775) 625-1313 or visit winnemuccadvs.org.[[In-content Ad]]
