U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

April 2023 Featured Resources

National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is April 23–29, 2023

National Crime Victims' Rights Week | April 23-29, 2023

OVC will lead the Nation during the annual National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW) commemoration, April 23–29, 2023.

This year’s theme—Survivor Voices: Elevate. Engage. Effect Change.—calls upon communities to amplify the voices of survivors and commit to creating an environment where survivors have the confidence that they will be heard, believed, and supported.

2023 NCVRW Theme Artwork and Sample Proclamation

Use the 2023 NCVRW theme artwork and sample proclamation to help your organization raise awareness about victims’ rights and services.

By engaging survivors, we will ensure our responses and services to victims and survivors are credible, meaningful, and centered on their individual needs.

View the NCVRW art and sample proclamation

Register to Attend the 2023 NCVRW Candlelight Vigil

Join OVC for a Candlelight Vigil as we commemorate National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW).

This event will pay tribute to victims of crime and the many dedicated professionals and volunteers who advocate on their behalf.

Date: Wednesday, April 26, 2023
Time: 7:00 – 8:00 p.m., eastern time
Location: Washington, D.C. - National Mall (Central Panel at 4th Street NW)

Register to attend the Vigil

Additional NCVRW Community Events

Visit our Events page to find NCVRW community awareness events, resource fairs, vigils, and other events across the Nation hosted by local service providers and allied professionals.
 

Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month

Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month #SAAM2023

In his Presidential Proclamation, President Biden states, "National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month is an important time to speak out, stand with courageous survivors, and finally change the culture that has allowed sexual violence to exist for far too long."

View the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month website for resources to raise public awareness, including posters, graphics, and more.

During this month, we highlight the following OVC-funded initiatives.

Expanding Access to Sexual Assault Forensic Examinations

Apply for the OVC FY 2023 Expanding Access to Sexual Assault Forensic Examinations funding opportunity to—

  1. increase the number and availability of SANEs/SAFEs,
  2. expand access to sexual assault forensic examinations to communities that have been historically underresourced, and
  3. improve the quality of post-sexual assault care using a hospital-based, community-based, campus-based, or corrections-based approach.
  • Grants.gov Deadline: 11:59 p.m., eastern time on Thursday, April 20, 2023
  • Application JustGrants Deadline: 8:59 p.m., eastern time on Thursday, April 27, 2023

Learn more and apply.

OVC FY 2023 Emergency and Transitional Pet Shelter and Housing Assistance Grant Program

This program will provide funding for shelter and transitional housing and other assistance to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and their companion animals.

  • Grants.gov Deadline: 11:59 p.m., eastern time on Monday, April 10, 2023
  • Application JustGrants Deadline: 8:59 p.m., eastern time on Monday, April 17, 2023

Learn more and apply.

SANE Program Development and Operation Guide

The SANE Program Development and Operation Guide provides a blueprint for nurses and communities that would like to start a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program and is a resource for established SANE programs that may want to enhance or expand their services.

SurvivorSpace

SurvivorSpace offers self-care and resiliency tips and tools for adult survivors of child sexual abuse. Funded by OVC through a grant to the Zero Abuse Project, this website is a safe space for survivors informed by survivors. It offers visitors an opportunity to explore their options, use interactive tools to help them on their healing journey, connect with others, and more.

Training and Technical Assistance

OVC, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, offers the Strengthening Military-Civilian Community Partnerships to Respond to Sexual Assault training program through the OVC Training and Technical Assistance Center (OVC TTAC). This free interactive, 1.5-day program trains local community victim advocates, law enforcement officials, sexual assault nurse examiners, mental health counselors, prosecutors, military victim advocates, sexual assault medical forensic examiners, military chaplains, and military criminal investigators on building effective partnerships with local military installations to enhance and extend the system of support for sexual assault victims in the military.

OVC funds the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) to provide technical assistance to the field by sharing information, resources, referrals, and/or providing training on topics related to forensic nursing, adult, adolescent, and pediatric sexual assault and related topics, specifically to the sexual assault responder who wishes to expand their knowledge and/or build their capacity to address sexual assault in their community.

The OVC Training and Technical Assistance Center (OVC TTAC) offers training and technical assistance for victim service providers and allied professionals who serve crime victims.

OVC TTAC’s 2-hour Responding to Military LGBTQ+ Survivors of Sexual Assault training teaches community- and military-based advocates and allied providers about—

  • current language and terms used when working with LGBTQ+ communities,
  • statistics on LGBTQ+ military sexual assaults,
  • trauma-informed approaches to serving military LGBTQ+ victims, and
  • on- and off-installation resources.

Contact OVC TTAC at [email protected] information about this training and visit the OVC TTAC website for other offerings on providing services to victims of sexual assault.
 

National Child Abuse Prevention Month

National Child Abuse Prevention Month

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time for communities to raise awareness and promote strategies that address child abuse. In his Presidential Proclamation, President Biden states, "We reaffirm our commitment to listening to children, standing with brave survivors, and reaching out across our communities to support families and to help others in need."

View the Child Welfare Information Gateway and Prevent Child Abuse America websites for outreach ideas, sample messages, and graphics to help raise awareness about child abuse prevention.

This April, OVC highlights multiple resources that support service providers’ responses to child abuse.

Child Victims and Witnesses Support Materials

For children and youth, participating in the justice system as a victim or witness can be especially confusing, distressing, and even re-traumatizing.

Child Victims and Witnesses Support Materials are available to help children and youth, ages 2–18, during their involvement with the justice system as a victim or witness to a crime. Materials cover: criminal court, child welfare systems, human trafficking, and children and youth in Tribal Communities. Some of the resources are available in multiple languages and audiobooks accompany the materials for young survivors of human trafficking.

The booklets feature engaging art and stories to help reach children and youth so they can feel informed, supported, and empowered during their journey.

Communicating Information About Child Abuse

The Building Better Childhoods website provides important guidance on how to talk about child abuse prevention in a way that resonates with a broad range of audiences. The tools can be used when communicating with media, funders, policymakers, and the general public. This initiative is funded in part by OVC and was developed by the FrameWorks Institute, in partnership with Prevent Child Abuse America and Social Current.

SurvivorSpace offers self-care and resiliency tips and tools for adult survivors of child sexual abuse. Funded by OVC through a grant to the Zero Abuse Project, this website is a safe space for survivors informed by survivors. It offers visitors an opportunity to explore their options, use interactive tools to help them on their healing journey, connect with others, and more.

Reframing Childhood Adversity: Promoting Upstream Approaches, supported with OVC funding, offers communications guidance that takes recent science and current communications contexts into account, speaks to racial and social justice, and aligns with efforts to reimagine child welfare systems into child well-being systems.

From Pain to Parenting, an educational guide from the OVC-funded Child Safety Forward initiative, provides training guidelines and modules for parents on multiple topics related to child well-being. Child Safety Forward was a nationwide, 3-year demonstration initiative to develop multidisciplinary strategies and responses to reduce fatalities or near-death injuries due to child abuse or neglect.

Additional Information

Discover more resources and funding opportunities on the OVC website. One such resource is the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), created by Congress in 2000 as part of the Children’s Health Act to raise the standard of care and increase access to services for children and families who experience or witness traumatic events.

Learn more about NCTSN and other organizations and products on our Child and Youth Victimization topic page.

Date Published: April 3, 2023