Fun Run and Candlelight Vigil Caps National Crime Victims' Rights Week in Burlington County

The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office will cap National Crime Victims’ Rights Week with a 5K Fun Run and Sunset Candlelight Vigil on Sunday, April 17.

The Stride for Survivors 5K Fun Run and candlelight vigil at Smithville Park in Eastampton begins at 6 p.m., preceded by registration at 5 p.m.

Participants can register at the event or online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stride-for-survivors-2016-tickets-22745831394.

The candlelight vigil will begin at 7:30 p.m., following the completion of the fun run.

“This is a very important week because it encourages our nation to focus on a group that for years was underserved and brushed aside by the criminal justice system,” Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi said. “During this week, we not only pay tribute to victims of crime and pledge to continue serving their needs, but also to re-examine how successful we are at meeting that challenge and to make adjustments and improvements to increase the effectiveness of that mission.”

This year’s theme - Serving Victims. Building Trust. Restoring Hope. - presents the opportunity to highlight the importance of providing needed services at the earliest stage of victimization.

“Early intervention helps prevent both further victimization and involvement in the criminal justice system, thus addressing the cycle of violence and restoring hope for the future,” Bernardi said.

Events were held throughout the country this week to draw attention to this historically underserved population.

Stride for Survivors is jointly sponsored by CONTACT of Burlington County’s Sexual Assault Services, the Burlington County Sheriff's Department, the New Jersey State Police and the Office of Victim Witness Advocacy in the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.

Last year, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office’s Office of Victim Witness Advocacy provided services to more than 3,000 victims on more than 15,000 total occasions, Bernardi said.

This assistance ranged from providing referrals for services to helping secure admission to a shelter/safe house.

National Crime Victims’ Rights Week honors and celebrates the achievements of the past 30 years in securing rights, protections, and services for victims.

The bipartisan Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), passed by Congress in 1984, created a national fund to ease victims’ suffering.

Financed by fines and penalties paid by offenders, the Crime Victims Fund supports services for victims of all types of crime, including assistance for homicide survivors, survivors of child sexual abuse and victims of human trafficking as well as rape crisis centers and domestic violence programs. VOCA also funds victim compensation programs that pay victims’ out-of-pocket expenses such as counseling, funeral expenses, and lost wages.