A Great Resource

If you or someone you know has been a victim of crime often the first response is how to find help. Fortunately, the National Center for Victims of Crime is a great first resource (after notifying the authorities, of course).The organization offers a wealth of information on all types of crime and violence ranging from the more obvious (such as stopping violence against women or how to seek civil justice for crime victims) to the less obvious (such as providing information and assistance for hurricane crime victims which could also translate to a victim as a result of any disaster such as assault during looting after riots or earthquakes).Topic s include such things as:

• Trauma of victimization
• Trauma recovery tips for children
• Grief: general
• Greif: children
• Victim services in hospitals
• Getting emotional, financial, and legal assistance
• Selecting a mental health professional
• Financial assistance: crime victim compensation
• Civil justice
• Civil justice for victims of crime
• Coping with holidays and anniversaries

Also, and we think this is pretty impressive, the organization is able to serve victims in more than 150 languages and can network through a nationwide base of more than 8,700 local community victim assistance programs. So don’t let language or geography stop you from getting the help that is available.

February 1st, 2011