Every minute of every day, a violent crime occurs in this country.  Over the past year, approximately 17,520 people were murdered. That’s two people every hour. The statistics published on Top-Papers.com have shown the horrible truth.

Last year, there were more than 300,000 rapes reported. That’s 34 rapes per hour.  This past year, there were also more than 300,000 reported sexual assaults on children. Again that’s more than 34 per hour. We can’t even begin to imagine how many are not reported.

Every year, there are millions of crimes committed against innocent, law-abiding citizens. Approximately 2% of our population commits 100% of the violent crimes, leaving the remaining 98% of us the potential victims.  And our system seems to focus on and care more about the accused and the convicted than the rest of us.  We need to band together and protect each other from these predators who seek to wreak havoc on our society.

We must arm ourselves with the knowledge and power that we can make a difference, confident that our voices matter and committed to not sit back and do nothing.  Regardless of whether you have been directly impacted by crime or not, eventually we will all be touched by crime on some level. You cannot pretend it doesn’t exist just because it hasn’t happened to you.  We wouldn’t wish this horrific pain on anyone, but we have to be prepared as best we can, and we need to be there for one another.

The following organizations have committed themselves to being a support system for people who have been traumatized and victimized. Each is dedicated to empowering victims to become survivors and to move through their tragedies with as much grace, dignity, and strength as possible.

Please note, this list is a very small percentage of the thousands of support systems in place to help.  Keep checking back, as we will be adding more content.

If you would like your organization to be considered as a resource for this website, please send an email inquiry to:

The National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) NOVA is a private non-profit 501(c)(3) organization of victim and witness assistance programs and practitioners, criminal justice agencies and professionals, mental health professionals, researchers, former victims and survivors, and others committed to the recognition and implementation of victim rights and services. Founded in 1975, NOVA is the oldest national group of its kind in the worldwide victims’ movement. NOVA’s mission is to promote rights and services for victims of crime and crisis everywhere. Information and Referrals for Victims of Crime and Disaster: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week www.trynova.org

Parents of Murdered Children (POMC) POMC makes the difference through ongoing emotional support, education, prevention, advocacy, and awareness. Their vision is to provide support and assistance to all survivors of homicide victims while working to create a world free of murder. National POMC 100 East Eighth Street, Suite 202 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 www.pomc.org

The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) OVC is committed to enhancing the nation's capacity to assist crime victims and to providing leadership in changing attitudes, policies, and practices to promote justice and healing for all victims of crime. Office for Victims of Crime Resource Center National Criminal Justice Reference Service P.O. Box 6000 Rockville, MD 20849 www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/

National Center for Victims of Crime The mission of the National Center for Victims of Crime is to forge a national commitment to help victims of crime rebuild their lives. It is dedicated to serving individuals, families, and communities harmed by crime. National Center for Victims of Crime 2000 M Street NW, Suite 480 Washington, DC 20036 www.ncvc.org

The National Domestic Violence Hotline www.ndvh.org