04/21/2026
The 2026 theme is LISTEN. ACT. ADVOCATE. Protect Victims, Serve Communities. This yearâs theme is a powerful call to actionâone that reminds us that supporting victims of crime requires more than awareness. It requires intentional listening, meaningful action, and unwavering advocacy.
Listening is the first and most important step in supporting victims and survivors. It means creating safe spaces where individuals are heard without judgment, believed without question, and respected in their experiences. When we truly listen, we validate survivorsâ voices and recognize their strength. Listening builds trust, fosters healing, and ensures that services are guided by the real needs of those impacted by crime.
Listening must be followed by action. Action means providing trauma-informed services, connecting victims to resources, strengthening partnerships, and working to remove barriers within systems. It means responding quickly and compassionately when someone reaches out for help. Action also includes educating our community, engaging stakeholders, and implementing policies that prioritize victim safety and dignity.
Advocacy ensures that victimsâ rights are upheld and their voices are represented in the criminal justice process and beyond. It means standing alongside survivors as they navigate complex systems. It also means promoting policies, funding, and community responses that center victimsâ needs. Advocacy challenges stigma, confronts injustice, and pushes for meaningful change so that no survivor feels alone or unseen.
When we protect victims, we strengthen entire communities. Safety, justice, and healing are not individual concernsâthey are collective responsibilities. By listening, acting, and advocating, we create communities where survivors are supported, rights are honored, and prevention becomes possible.
This National Crime Victimsâ Rights Week, we recommit ourselves to ensuring every victim is heard, every voice matters, and every community stands together in support of healing and justice.
(Referenced by Victim Support Services)
Missy Trisler Lisa McPeek