MICHAEL F. EASLEY
GOVERNOR
CRIME VICTIMS' RIGHTS WEEK
2007
BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
A PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, one violent crime is committed in Norlh Carolina every 13 minutes and 3 seconds according to the
Annual Summary Report of2005 Uniform Crime Reporting Dara • Norlh Carolina Department of Justice - State Bureau of
lnvestigation; and
WHEREAS, in 2005 there were 582 homicides with 70 of those being domestic violence homicides and 2,265 rapes
in North Carolina according to the Annual Summary Report of2005, North Carolina Department of Justice - State Bureau of
Investigation and lhe Norlh Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence; and
WHEREAS, there were a total of 40,265 violent crimes committed in North Carolina in 2005 according to the Annual
Summary Report of2005 Uniform Crime Reporting Data-North Carolina Departmeot of Justice- State Bureau of
· Lnvestjgarion; and
WHEREAS, victims of crime across North Carolina need and deserve support and assistance to help them cope with
the consequences of crime; and
WHEREAS, National Crime Victims' Rights Week- April 22-28, 2007-offers us all the opporrunil)l to promote
srrengdt in unit)' in helping victims and survivors of crime, and recognizing their rights as victims; and
WHEREAS, victims and survivors of crime can gain strength from the wide range of supportive services offered by
community- and justiCe system-based programs in North Carolina, including 75 rape crisis centers and I 02 domestic violence
service programs according to the NC Council for Women/Domestic Violence Commission; and
WHEREAS, North Carolina has demonsrrated its caring and compassion for victims of crime, from individuals who
provide support to a victim in need, to community collaborations that result in comprehensive services for victims of violence
against men, women and children; and
WHEREAS, by being united against crime and for victims' rights and services, we gain srrengtb as individuals, as
communities, and as a state as a whole, and offer strength to victims who seek to recover in the aftermath of crime; and .
WHEREAS, we must remain united in our commitment to ensure that all crime victims and survivors are treated with
compassion and respect, recognized as key participants within our systems of justice, and afforded services that provide help
and hope to them; and
WHEREAS, America has joined together annually each April since 1981 to recognize the needs and rights of crime
victims and survivors during National Crime Victims' Rights Week;
NOW, THEREFORE, l, MICHAEL F. EASLEY, Governor oflhe state ofNorth Carolina do hereby proclaim
April 22-28, 2007, to be "CRIME VICTIMS' RIGHTS W££K" in North Carolina, and I urge all citizens to seek justice for
all victims of
have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at
day of March in the year of our Lord two thousand and seven, and of the Independence of
and thirty-first.