Crime Victim Relocation Fund - Please help us!
Recently,
my daughter was sexually assaulted by two adults and we have been forced to relocate and live in hiding.
I
have dedicated nearly 20 years to advocating for victims and now that my own
daughter is the victim, I am learning first-hand that there are so few resources
available for victims of sexual assault who living in ongoing fear of criminals
who hurt them and fielding anonymous death threats as a form of retaliation for
doing the right thing and contacting the police. We are now living a
nightmare.
As
most of us live our lives day to day, some of us already struggling financially
in hard times, we certainly don't anticipate becoming a crime victim let alone
making sure we have a savings set aside for relocation (deposits, rent, etc).
After a violent crime the entire family is in emotional turmoil. In addition to
dealing with the emotional and psychological aftermath of the crime itself, as
if this wasn't enough, death threats and promise of retaliation for reporting
it. Unfortunately, we can't go to the general public and news media that has
helped me help so many other families over the span of two decades as it may put
us further at risk. Instead, we must sit in silence and depend on someone or
some state agency to step in and provide relief.
We were able to relocate but life just doesn't bounce back.
In already tough financial times for many of us, we certainly do not put away a savings in anticipation of becoming a crime victim. At a time when a victim family should be able to deal with the emotional trauma and focus on reclaiming their lives in the aftermath of crime, they should not have to face additional financial burden, relocation expense, and even loss of income as a direct result of crime.
As a crime victim advocate for nearly twenty years, I have served this state and the nation to ensure crime victims received services they needed unique to each family's circumstances. We are not only feeling the emotional and psychological effects of my daughter becoming a victim of a violent crime in the state of Arizona, continued fear for safety, and added financial burden; but now the feeling of abandonment from the very state I served for two decades of my life. Please tell me where the justice is in this and what your office will do to prevent this from happening to another family. I appreciate your attention to this matter.
Thank you.
