How to offer support to victims of violence

Dear editor:

In our community, virtually everyone is or knows a victim or survivor of crime.

Crime is not "somebody else's problem" but, rather, a collective challenge that has often devastating effects on people, families, neighborhoods, schools, businesses and our community as a whole. During 2015 National Crime Victims' Rights Week April 19 to 25 we can embrace this special week's theme that "engages communities and empowers victims" right here in Carbon County, Pennsylvania.

Anyone in our community can simply be there to help a family member or friend who is harmed by crime, in the immediate aftermath and in the long run.

You can simply say "I'm sorry" and do whatever is needed to help a victim feel safe and supported. People can volunteer to help all crime victims at the Victims Resource Center and strengthen our efforts to provide quality services and support to survivors who greatly need them.

We can empower victims by simply treating them with the respect and dignity they deserve, and by avoiding anything that judges, blames or shames them. Empowerment means supporting victims' choices whether or not to report a crime; helping victims who do report to understand justice processes and their rights; making sure they have access to health and mental health services if they need them; and doing whatever is needed to help them on their often difficult journey to justice and healing.

To show our support for victims of violence, Victims Resource Center will present a display of The Shoe Project and information on Crime Victims' Rights from April 20-24 at Blue Mountain Health System's Gnaden-Huetten Campus in Lehighton.

The Shoe Project is a display of shoes with real stories of victims of violence attached. The shoes are symbolic of the time in the life of the victim when the violence occurred.

During this week and throughout the year, the Victims Resource Center invites our community to help us help victims and survivors of crime; and to help us make sure that victims' rights and services are not just celebrated annually, but practiced daily.

For more information on services offered by the Victims Resource Center, call our 24-hour hotline at 610-379-0151.

Sincerely,

Janet MacKay

Executive Director

Victims Resource Center