The U.S. Office for Victims of Crime has chosen April 18-24 for this year’s National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.

An informational kit including a poster, brochures and counter card display was shipped to more than 11,000 Post Offices last month and should already be on display.

Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic has brought with it an alarming side effect: a spike in crime.

“The last year has undoubtedly been challenging,” Katherine Darke Schmitt, acting director of the Office for Victims of Crime, wrote in a recent message to supporters. “Victims were often isolated from family, friends, and support systems.”

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the campaign. USPS, the Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Department of Justice, which oversees the Office for Victims of Crime, have combined forces for the past 16 years.

The theme for 2021, “Support Victims. Build Trust. Engage Communities,” emphasizes “the importance of leveraging community support to help victims,” Schmitt wrote.

A new resource guide from the agency is online, as is a resource list from the Inspection Service.

More information on National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is available at ovc.ojp.gov.

Source: USPS