[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 78 (Tuesday, April 23, 2002)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 19635-19636]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-10086]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 67, No. 78 / Tuesday, April 23, 2002 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 19635]]

                Proclamation 7543 of April 18, 2002

                
National Crime Victims' Rights Week, 2002

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Thirty years ago, advocates from some of the most 
                crime-ridden neighborhoods of St. Louis, San Francisco, 
                and Washington, D.C., founded the Nation's first 
                assistance programs for crime victims. These centers 
                were established in communities where violence was 
                common, and they were clear about their mission: to 
                bring help, hope, and healing to those who had suffered 
                the effects of crime. The creation of these victim-
                assistance programs launched a movement that brought 
                domestic violence shelters, homicide victim support 
                groups, and rape crisis centers to help victims in 
                cities and towns throughout the United States.

                The crime victims' rights movement also brought changes 
                in the way the criminal justice system treats and 
                interacts with crime victims. In many cases, crime 
                victims began to be treated with greater respect and to 
                play an important role in criminal justice proceedings.

                In 1982, President Ronald Reagan assembled a task force 
                of nine national leaders to travel the country and 
                listen to service providers, criminal justice 
                professionals, and victims. The Task Force's Final 
                Report listed 68 recommendations for meeting victims' 
                needs, including the need for a Federal constitutional 
                amendment. The momentum generated by this report helped 
                spur passage of the Victims of Crime Act of 1984, which 
                now supports thousands of assistance programs 
                throughout the Nation. The Victim and Witness 
                Protection Act of 1982 and other laws have given 
                victims of Federal crimes many important rights.

                All 50 States have now passed victims' rights laws, and 
                more than half the States have amended their 
                constitutions to guarantee rights for crime victims. 
                However, more remains to be done to secure victims' 
                rights. I support a Federal Constitutional Amendment to 
                protect the rights of victims of violent crime.

                Our Nation has come to realize the tragic toll that 
                crime takes, and we have developed the resources to 
                ease crime's physical, emotional, and financial impact. 
                This support network, which was already in place on 
                September 11, made us better prepared to deal with the 
                unspeakable pain and tragedy inflicted by the terrorist 
                attacks. Along with the many firefighters, law 
                enforcement officers, paramedics, and rescue workers 
                who responded in New York, Washington, D.C., and 
                Pennsylvania, hundreds of counselors, chaplains, social 
                workers, volunteers, and victim service providers came 
                together for the common purpose of helping the victims, 
                the families, and our Nation.

                My Administration has made the fight against crime a 
                top priority. But when a crime does occur, I am 
                dedicated to providing assistance and comfort to 
                victims and to ensuring that the rights of victims are 
                protected. At the time of their great trauma, crime 
                victims deserve nothing less than our complete support.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim April 21 through April

[[Page 19636]]

                27, 2002, as National Crime Victims' Rights Week. I 
                encourage every community to embrace the cause of 
                victims' rights and services and to advance them in all 
                sectors of our society.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                eighteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand two, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and twenty-sixth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)B

[FR Doc. 02-10086
Filed 4-22-02; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P