[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