JOYE FROST: Changing the culture, the way we view victims, the way we treat victims, is incredibly important. The laws themselves are not enough. We have to have committed practitioners and a well-informed general public, insuring that all victims are treated with dignity, with respect.
WOMAN: All rise.
JOYE FROST: Their rights are enforced, and that they can take those steps to rebuilding their lives.
MAN: What are we reading today?
JOYE FROST: Back in the '80s, crime victims really had very few rights. And it was actually a Presidential Task Force that really outlined the dilemma, the plight of crime victims, and the way that in many instances they were just treated as another piece of evidence. And we've come a long way since then.
I've been to a lot of conferences in 20 years at OVC. There is a spiritual aspect to this conference that comes from Native culture, from the very essence of who you are.
I do think the crime victims field does need more resources to reach victims in ways that we've never been able to do before. I started my career in Child Protective Services, and it was really an incredible privilege to serve as the Director for the Office for Victims of Crime.
Most innovation comes from the necessity to solve the problem. And it makes all the difference in the world when you can tie what you think needs to be done to research.
When we started Vision 21, we felt it was very important to convene a series of stakeholder forums that brought in a wide swath of people in the community. At every forum, participants said, "Wow. I have never sat in a meeting and talked about not just my area, not just child abuse or elder abuse or sexual assault, but everybody's area—looking at victimization from a much more holistic perspective, to make that the standard for every community in this nation. Vision 21 is just the beginning, but it will, I think, set the stage for expanding the reach and impact of the crime victims field for the next decade.
WILLIAM KELLIBREW: ♪ You raise me up so I could stand on mountains. You raise me up to walk on stormy seas. I am strong when I am on your shoulders. You raise me up to more than I can be. ♪
