ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia joins communities nationwide in commemorating National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW) from April 24–30, 2022. The Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime’s (OVC) theme this year, “Rights, access, equity, for all victims,” emphasizes the importance of helping crime survivors find their justice by enforcing victims’ rights, expanding access to services for victims and ensuring equity and inclusion for all.
“This week we reflect on our responsibilities to the victims of crime in our communities,” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We express gratitude for the ones who come forward, often having to revisit traumatic events in order to report or testify. We are also conscious that many victims, out of fear, shame, or distrust in the legal system, do not report crimes to law enforcement. It is our responsibility to those victims to reach out, to listen, and to accommodate their needs so that we can accord their rights and hopefully prevent future crimes.”
According to OVC, NCVRW is a time to renew our commitment to serving victims of crime, acknowledge achievements made in the victim services field, and remember crime victims and survivors. Crime victims are our family, friends, neighbors, and community members. While we can never truly understand the depth of their trauma and the impact on their lives, we can ensure that equitable, inclusive, culturally appropriate, and gender responsive services are available to help them. By enforcing victims’ rights, expanding access to services, and upholding principles of equity and inclusivity for all, we can enable crime victims to find the justice they seek, in whatever form that might take.
OVC leads communities throughout the country in their annual observances of NCVRW, during which victim advocacy organizations, community groups, and state, local, and tribal agencies traditionally host rallies, candlelight vigils, and other events to raise awareness of victims’ rights and services. For more information about this year’s NCVRW and how to assist victims in your own community, please visit the National Crime Victims’ Rights Week website.
The following events will be held in the local area to commemorate NCVRW 2022:
- NCVRW Candlelight Vigil on Thursday April 28, 2022, from 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. on the National Mall, Washington D.C.
- NCRVW Service Awards Ceremony on Friday April 29, 2022, from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. at the Constitution Gardens on the National Mall, Washington D.C.
- The 2022 “Unsung Heroes” awards ceremony, hosted by the Virginia Office of the Attorney General on Tuesday, April 26 in Richmond to recognize outstanding service and support to victims of crime in the Commonwealth. For more information about the event, please visit here.
To commemorate NCVRW this year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia is holding a clothing drive to donate garments and toiletries to a local non-profit organization that assists victims in crisis.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.