[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 81 (Wednesday, April 27, 2022)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 24849-24850]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-09137]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 87 , No. 81 / Wednesday, April 27, 2022 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 24849]]


                Proclamation 10374 of April 22, 2022

                
National Crime Victims' Rights Week, 2022

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Forty years ago, the President's Task Force on Victims 
                of Crime was established to help those who had 
                experienced crime and their families--an important step 
                toward the protection of and support for victims' 
                rights. Over the years, crime victims' rights have 
                evolved. Dedicated professionals have worked to develop 
                support and services for survivors that are more 
                holistic, trauma-informed, and effective at overcoming 
                systemic barriers that certain communities face in 
                prosecuting offenders and obtaining justice. However, 
                more work remains to be done to advance these goals. 
                During National Crime Victims' Rights Week, our Nation 
                renews our commitment to providing survivors of crime 
                the support they need to heal. We honor the dedicated 
                victim service providers who support crime victims, and 
                we continue to advance this important cause for all 
                people.

                Delivering true justice requires that we provide all 
                victims with the support they need. Persistent barriers 
                still prevent many survivors from receiving the 
                services they need and the justice they deserve. Many 
                crimes--including violent crimes, such as rape and 
                sexual assault--often go unreported to law enforcement 
                because, among other concerns, victims fear placing 
                themselves in further danger and negative interactions 
                with the criminal justice system. My Administration is 
                also working to tackle the epidemic of gun violence, 
                which is a public health and public safety crisis. In 
                the absence of necessary Congressional action, my 
                Administration is taking action to get illegal guns--
                and those who would use them to commit crimes--off of 
                our streets.

                Victims of crime not only face physical and emotional 
                costs, they often suffer a serious economic toll as 
                well, and this is another area in which my 
                Administration is making progress. The Crime Victims 
                Fund, established through the Victims of Crime Act 
                (VOCA), helps provide critical resources for victim 
                services and victim compensation programs throughout 
                the country. That is why, last July, I signed the VOCA 
                Fix to Sustain the Crime Victim Fund Act into law to 
                strengthen VOCA and increase the revenues to support 
                survivors of crime and victim services organizations. 
                My Administration is supporting innovative programs 
                like sexual assault telehealth services and hospital-
                based victim assistance, enabling providers to quickly 
                reach more survivors and reduce repeated victimization. 
                I am also proud to have recently signed into law the 
                reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act 
                (VAWA), which funds programs that provide services to 
                survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual 
                assault, and stalking. This reauthorization of VAWA 
                also expands the rights of victims of technology-
                facilitated gender-based violence and also includes 
                historic Tribal provisions to protect Native 
                communities and help them pursue justice.

                Strengthening public safety also means addressing the 
                trauma and inequality of victimization experienced by 
                communities of color, Native American communities, the 
                LGBTQI+ community, the Asian American community, and 
                other historically marginalized groups. People of color 
                suffer higher rates

[[Page 24850]]

                of victimization, and violence is disproportionally 
                concentrated in neighborhoods that have been harmed 
                persistently by racial discrimination, segregation, 
                redlining, and disinvestment. Breaking the cycle of 
                violence enhances public safety, public health, and 
                equity. We also know that members of the LGBTQI+ 
                community are more likely to be victims of violent 
                crime.

                My Administration is committed to using all tools at 
                our disposal to ensure every survivor of crime has 
                equal access to the resources and services they need to 
                recover from their ordeals and regain a feeling of 
                safety. To address a surge in hate crimes and bias-
                motivated attacks--and to provide law enforcement with 
                the resources to identify and investigate hate crimes, 
                I signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law. As part 
                of this law, we have funded a new Center for Culturally 
                Responsive Victim Services to help local programs 
                better serve historically marginalized communities.

                In addition to supporting crime victims, we must also 
                hold offenders accountable. That is why the Departments 
                of Justice and Homeland Security are committed to 
                investigating and enforcing our criminal and civil laws 
                and ensuring that Federal, State, local, territorial, 
                and Tribal law enforcement officers and prosecutors 
                receive the training and resources they need to deliver 
                justice to victims.

                It takes enormous courage and extraordinary strength to 
                emerge from life's most painful moments. As a Nation, 
                let us all work together to stop crimes before they 
                happen and to give victims the support they need to 
                restore a sense of trust and safety and to move toward 
                healing and justice.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 24 
                through April 30, 2022, National Crime Victims' Rights 
                Week. I call upon all Americans to observe this week by 
                participating in events that raise awareness of 
                victims' rights and services and by volunteering to 
                serve victims in their time of need.

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

[FR Doc. 2022-09137
Filed 4-26-22; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F2-P