Victims' Rights Week Begins Today

CONCORD, NH - New Hampshire will take part in the national Crime Victims Rights’ Week by hosting several events including a memorial service and a press conference.

These events will take place on April 10 and April 11 at St. Paul’s Church in Concord. The series of events will honor all victims of crime and feature presentations and displays by sponsoring agencies including the New Hampshire Clothesline Project, and the Victim’s Inc. Memorial Quilts.

The schedule of events on Sunday includes:

3 to 5 p.m. – Memorial Service to pay tribute to all those who have died or have been traumatized by violent crime. Reception to follow immediately after. Victims, Inc. quilts will be on display.

The schedule of events on Monday includes:

9:30 a.m. - Press Conference featuring Gov. Maggie Hassan, Attorney General Joseph Foster, and U.S. Attorney Emily Rice. This will be directly followed by a ribbon cutting for the NH Clothesline Project.

10 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Victim Advocacy Organization Displays including: New Hampshire Clothesline Project Honoring survivors of sexual and domestic violence and stalking. *Weather pending the T-shirts will be displayed on the Statehouse lawn and St. Paul’s Church. Victims Inc. quilts featuring quilt squares made by families of crash and homicide victims to honor the memory of their loved ones, to assure they will not be forgotten, and to assist in their own healing.

The press conference will include tributes to two people who have gone above and beyond in their work on behalf of victims of crime.

• The late New Hampshire State Police Lt. James Geraghty - Victims in NH lost a great ally with the passing of Geraghty. The wonderful work of Geraghty will be honored via an award presented posthumously on his behalf to his family.
• Detective Julie Curtin of the Concord Police Department will receive the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s Visionary Voice Award. This annual award recognizes the creativity and hard work of individuals around the country who have demonstrated outstanding work to end sexual violence.

The public is encouraged to visit the Clothesline Project Display organized by the AmeriCorps Victim Assistance Program of the Coalition. This project highlights the pain and healing experienced by survivors of domestic and sexual violence. It gives survivors and their loved ones a way to cope with and express what they have experienced by writing messages on T-shirts.

Media are invited to attend all of the events including the service. The press conference will be heavily attended by victims and their family members, as well as members of law enforcement and the advocacy community. For more information contact: Maureen McDonald 603-224-8893 extension 311; Maureen@nhcadsv.org

About Crime Victims Rights Week: The week of April 10 – 16, 2016, is National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW). This annual observance, first designated by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, seeks to increase general public awareness of, and knowledge about the wide range of rights and services available to people who have been victimized by crime. The theme for 2016 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is “Serving Victims, Building Trust, Restoring Hope.” For more information go to http://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ncvrw/.

Submitted by the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.