    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 133, 116th Congress, 1st Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    Proclamation 9859 of April 5, 2019

    National Crime Victims' Rights Week, 2019

    By the President of the United States of America

    A Proclamation

    Ensuring the safety and security of all Americans is my foremost
    obligation as President. Criminals must be held accountable for the
    abuse they inflict on others and for the trauma they cause our
    communities. Thanks in large part to the dedication and hard work of our
    Nation's law enforcement officials, violent crime rates have decreased
    over the last 2 years. Millions of crimes, however, are still committed
    against Americans every year. These crimes affect the physical, mental,
    financial, and emotional well-being of victims, causing loss from which
    they may never fully recover. During National Crime Victims' Rights
    Week, we renew our commitment to supporting victims as they heal from
    suffering and rebuild their lives. We also express our gratitude to all
    those who support victims and who hold offenders accountable.
    My Administration will always stand with law enforcement to protect our
    families from all forms of crime and abuse, and it is our core
    responsibility to enforce the laws of our Nation. We must continue to
    support our law enforcement partners to stop those who seek to do harm
    to our communities. Paying a heavy price as a result of those who
    violate our laws, many families have been shattered by criminals,
    terrorists, and traffickers who abuse our immigration system and enter
    our country illegally. Our Angel Families have endured unfathomable pain
    and, to prevent more American families from enduring the tragic death of
    a loved one at the hands of a criminal illegal alien, my Administration
    created a new office within the Department of Homeland Security--the
    Victims of Immigrant Crime Engagement, or ``VOICE.'' VOICE has already
    assisted thousands of families by providing them crucial services, such
    as grief counseling and information about perpetrators.
    Victims of crime--including women who are survivors of crime--need safe
    environments conducive to disclosing to authorities information about
    their abuse and offender. That is one reason why my Administration is
    making robust funding available for domestic violence shelters, rape
    crisis centers, homicide support groups, and other programs that

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    help empower victims and survivors. We are supporting more than 7,000
    local programs nationwide, and this investment is giving a greater
    number of victims than at any time in our history access to critical
    victims' assistance services. We are also employing innovative methods
    to aid sexual assault victims in rural areas who otherwise would not
    have access to these important services.
    My Administration continues to prioritize the protection of our most
    precious resource--our children. In December 2018, I signed into law the
    Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018,
    which creates a compensation fund that child pornography victims can use
    to obtain financial support for their recovery and loss. In addition,
    health and public safety professionals are implementing innovative
    programs to help children, affected by sexual abuse and the opioid
    crisis, put their lives on better trajectories despite the despair they
    have witnessed and the suffering they have endured in their homes and
    communities.
    It is critical that we help victims get the justice, assistance, and
    support they need to recover and rebuild their lives--whether through
    restitution, compensation, counseling, transitional housing, civil legal
    aid, or their day in court. All victims of crime deserve our respect,
    and my Administration will continue to work to ensure a safer and more
    secure Nation.
    NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, 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 7 through April
    13, 2019, as National Crime Victims' Rights Week. I urge all Americans,
    families, law enforcement, community and faith-based organizations, and
    private organizations to work together to support victims of crime and
    protect their rights.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day of April,
    in the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the Independence
    of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-third.
    DONALD J. TRUMP