For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 10, 2001
National Crime Victims' Rights Week, 2001
By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation
Every day, Americans are making progress both
in the fight against crime and in the effort to ensure fair and
compassionate treatment of victims and their
families. Dedicated volunteers, health care professionals,
counselors, and law enforcement per-sonnel in communities large and
small are raising the public's awareness that victims have important
rights.
Decreasing crime rates are
encouraging, but we are far from winning the war against
crime. According to the most recent National Crime
Victimization Survey, nearly 29 million people were victimized by crime
in 1999, including more than 7 million victims of violent
crime. Americans cannot afford to be
complacent. All of us must continue efforts to stop crime
and to improve services for those harmed by crime.
The voices of our Nation's victims continue to
have a powerful effect in changing laws, policies, and attitudes to
promote victims' rights and services. They encourage every
person in America to take a stand and to lend their support. My
Administration is committed to improving public safety and to providing
justice for all who have been victimized. We will fight for
public policies that prevent crimes. We will steadfastly
support those responsible for enforcing the laws and protecting the
innocent. And we will attempt to see that offenders, not
victims, pay the high cost of crime. Our
Nation's commitment to crime victim assistance grows stronger every
year, with thousands of programs in place to provide help and hope. My
Administration is committed to expanding opportunities for faith-based
and charitable organi-zations dedi-cated to serving persons in
need. Crime victims often turn to faith-based organizations
for assistance and support during times of crisis, and religious
leaders and communities are vital links in our national network of
victim services. This year marks the 20th
anniversary of National Crime Victims' Rights Week. The
campaign to win rights for victims parallels other grassroots movements
in our Nation's history. These crusades most frequently began as small
local movements led by groups of passionate individuals who spoke out
in protest when they saw inequities. During this week, let
us join in the effort to establish fair legal rights and services for
crime victims.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President
of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the
Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 22
through 28, 2001, as National Crime Victims' Rights Week. I
urge all Americans to share the burden of reducing crime in their
communities and to follow the example of those who have helped
establish rights and improve services for victims.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my
hand
this
ninth
day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand one, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-fifth.
GEORGE
W. BUSH
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