National Crime Victims' Rights Week, 2000

Proclamation 7290 of April 10, 2000

National Crime Victims' Rights Week, 2000

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

This week marks the 20th anniversary of National
Crime Victims' Rights Week. Over the past two decades,
we have made enormous progress in our efforts to build
safer communities and to reshape our criminal justice
system so that it better protects victims' rights and
responds more compassionately to their needs.
In the 7 years since I first proclaimed National
Crime Victims' Rights Week, my Administration has
worked hard to achieve some of the most progressive
criminal justice reforms in our Nation's history.
Recognizing the urgent plea from millions of Americans
to restore safety and security to their neighborhoods,
in 1994 I signed into law the Violent Crime Control and
Law Enforcement Act, which funds 100,000 additional
police officers to fight crime and protect our
citizens. In Federal court cases, this law also gives
victims of violent crime and sexual abuse the right to
speak out in court before sentencing, providing them
the opportunity to describe the impact such
victimization has had on their lives. To help protect
our communities from gun violence, we enacted the Brady
Handgun Violence Prevention Act, requiring background
checks for potential handgun purchasers. Since its
passage, more than 500,000 attempted gun purchases by
felons, fugitives, and other prohibited persons have
been prevented, saving an untold number of lives. And
we worked to pass the assault weapons ban to keep these
deadly firearms off our streets.
We also fought to pass the Violence Against Women
Act, which addresses the complex dynamics of gender-
motivated violence and seeks to ensure justice for
women who live in daily fear for their safety and often
for their lives. By providing support services for
victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and
empowering prosecutors with new tools to target
offenders, we have sent a clear message that our
society will not tolerate violence against women.
Thanks to the concerted efforts of crime victims'
advocates, many of whom are survivors themselves,
government at all levels is focused on ensuring
victims' rights. Today, all States have enacted laws
safeguarding crime victims' rights in the criminal
justice process, and 32 States have amended their
constitutions accordingly.
Despite this progress, millions of Americans still
fall prey to criminals each year. In the past year
alone, gun violence alone has taken an enormous toll
across our Nation. To address this, my Administration
has proposed the 21st Century Policing Initiative to
provide 50,000 more police officers for our streets,
requested more funding for our Safe Schools/Healthy
Students Initiative to reduce school and youth
violence, and put forth the largest national gun
enforcement initiative in our Nation's history. I
continue to call on the Congress to strengthen our
Nation's hate crime laws and to pass commonsense gun
legislation to keep guns out of the wrong hands; and we
should pass the Victims' Rights Amendment to the
Constitution.

Criminal victimization is at its lowest level in 25
years, but we can do more. As we observe National Crime
Victims' Rights Week, as we near the fifth anniversary
of the tragic bombing in Oklahoma City and the first
anniversary of the shooting at Columbine High School,
let us vow to continue working together to prevent
crime and violence. Let us also pledge to honor the
needs and rights of victims whose lives have been
forever altered by crime. And let us recognize the
courage and determination of the thousands of men and
women across our country who dedicate themselves daily
to the protection of victims' rights.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of
the United States, do hereby proclaim April 9 to April
15, 2000, as National Crime Victims' Rights Week. I
urge all Americans to remember crime victims and their
families by working to reduce violence, to assist those
harmed by crime, and to make our communities and homes
safer places in which to live and raise our families.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand
this tenth day of April, in the year of our Lord two
thousand, and of the Independence of the United States
of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth.