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Proclaiming and designating the week of April 10 - 16, 2016 as "Philadelphia Crime Victims' Rights Week" to encourage citizens to assist crime victims and to increase community awareness and support for the organizations that help crime victims rebuild their lives.
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WHEREAS, National Crime Victims' Rights Week was established in 1981 to promote awareness and support for victims of crime and is sponsored by the Federal Office for Victims of Crime which provides funding to state victim assistance and compensation programs; and
WHEREAS, This year's theme is "Serving Victims. Building Trust. Restoring Hope.," recognizing that trust is of particular concern in communities that feel isolated from or invisible to mainstream service providers and the criminal justice system; and
WHEREAS, A large proportion of people can expect to become the victim of a crime at some point in their lifetime, making crime not a remote or distant issue, but rather one that touches many of our families and communities; and
WHEREAS, In 2015, after a period of significant decline, Philadelphia saw its murder rate climb with 280 murders, a 13 percent increase from 2014; and
WHEREAS, Young people are disproportionately victimized compared to other age groups. Of the national population of 14- to 17-year-olds, over 69 percent had been assaulted, 56 percent had experienced a property victimization (including robbery), 41 percent had been maltreated and 27 percent had been sexually victimized at some point in their lifetime; and
WHEREAS, Crimes such as domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse affect survivors in the most intimate aspects of their lives; and
WHEREAS, According to the National Center for Victims of Crime, 25% of crime victims experienced lifetime PTSD and 23% of family members of homicide victims have also developed PTSD at some point in their lives; and
WHEREAS, Too often, factors such as language and culture, sexual orientation or gen...
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