WASHINGTON –Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Senator Patrick Leahy introduced a resolution observing this week as National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.  The resolution recognizes the Senate’s commitment to raising awareness about the unique needs of crime victims and their families.
 
Grassley and Leahy’s resolution expresses the sense of the Senate that victims and survivors of crime need and deserve support.  The resolution also asserts the importance of securing justice for crime survivors and protecting communities when victims report crimes and bravely participate in the criminal justice process.
 
National Crime Victims’ Rights Week represents more than three decades of collaboration between Congress, the Justice Department and communities across the nation to identify and meet the diverse needs of crime victims, survivors and their families.  In acknowledgement of the courage and perseverance of these victims, the theme for this year’s event is “Strength. Resilience. Justice.” The resolution acknowledges that while much progress has been made toward accomplishing these goals, more needs to be done.  In particular, the resolution states that the United States must empower victims and survivors by protecting their legal rights, providing support in the aftermath of crime and treating all victims and their families with dignity and respect. 
 
Each year, millions of Americans across the country tragically fall victim to more than 20 million crimes committed in the United States.  These crimes can have a significant and damaging impact not only on the victims and their families, but also on entire communities.  
 
The Senate Judiciary Committee will consider several pieces of important legislation to improve on our tradition of supporting and protecting victims of crime.  Grassley, Leahy, and a group of bipartisan Senators recently urged the Trump administration to prioritize programs that assist victims of sexual and domestic abuse.  The Judiciary Committee has also recently worked on issues like sexual assault, human trafficking, unsolved civil rights crimes, and reducing the rape kit backlog among many others.  Just last week the committee held a hearing on protecting young athletes from sexual abuse.
 
This year, National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is April 2 – 8.
 
Full text of the resolution is available here.
 
Grassley’s full statement in the Congressional Record follows.
 
STATEMENT OF SENATOR GRASSLEY
COMMEMORATING NATIONAL CRIME VICTIMS’ RIGHTS WEEK
APRIL 5, 2017
 
Mr. President, millions of Americans and thousands of Iowans annually fall victim to senseless acts of crime.  In their honor and in honor of the thousands of advocates, first responders, crisis hotline volunteers and others who work tirelessly on their behalf, I introduced a resolution to commemorate National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
 
I thank Senators Leahy, Crapo, and Feinstein for joining me as cosponsors of this important resolution. In 2017, National Crime Victims’ Rights Week takes place from April 2 nd through April 8 th.  We’ve commemorated the week every April since 1981.
 
Here in Washington, D.C. and across the nation, activities are being organized to highlight and promote this year’s theme:  “Strength. Resilience. Justice.” The theme for 2017 recognizes the strength of individual victims.  It highlights the resilience of survivors as well as the victim assistance organizations who support survivors in their efforts to heal.  And it reflects the importance of securing justice for crime victims.
 
During this week, we also highlight the contributions of the crisis hotline volunteers and staff, victims’ rights attorneys, advocates, sexual assault nurse examiners, police officers, and other emergency responders who provide critical assistance to survivors of crime in communities across the United States.  On Friday, several of these individuals will receive awards during a ceremony hosted by the Office for Victims of Crime at the U.S. Department of Justice.  I extend my gratitude to those award recipients for their work to assist victims of crime.
 
Many of us in this chamber have championed landmark legislation to enhance the rights of crime victims. For example, I was an original cosponsor of the 1984 Victims of Crime Act, which established the Crime Victims Compensation Fund.  I also joined my colleagues in supporting the 1994 enactment of the Violence Against Women Act. This landmark legislation enhanced penalties for sex offenders and made hundreds of millions of dollars available for activities and programs to respond to the needs of domestic violence survivors. 
 
The Judiciary Committee, which I chair, has continued to make the protection of victims’ rights a top priority.  Two years ago, we approved the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, which makes new resources available to help survivors of human trafficking.  We also approved the Survivors’ Bill of Rights, which establishes new rights for survivors of federal crimes of sexual violence.  We cleared the Justice for All Reauthorization Act, which enhances crime survivors’ ability to seek restitution and improves victims’ access to legal services. And we approved the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act of 2016.
 
Supporting and protecting victims of crime will again be an important priority this year in the Judiciary Committee.  Last week, I convened a hearing to examine allegations that dozens of young athletes experienced sexual abuse at the hands of coaches, instructors, and others. Senators Feinstein, Collins, and I also recently introduced a bill, the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse Act, to ensure that sexual assault allegations by young athletes will be reported and investigated promptly.  This year, we also will make it a priority to extend and update programs authorized under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
 
In closing, crime victims and survivors in the United States deserve our assistance in helping them cope with the often devastating consequences of crime.   That is why it is so important that we support the mission of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.  Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting passage of this important resolution.
 
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