Joyce Lukima: Funding for crime victims must be restored
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“I finally decided to press charges against my father for 11 years of sexual abuse. I didn’t know where to turn or what to do … I called your center and spoke with a woman who changed my life. After four years of an unbearable legal process, I’m so happy to say that my father made a guilty plea for aggravated sexual assault. Without the guidance of the woman I spoke with, I would have given up hope.” — Center for Victims client
Every year, the Center for Victims (CV) in Pittsburgh serves roughly 16,000 survivors of violent crime, especially victims of domestic and sexual violence. It provides information, therapy, criminal justice advocacy, immediate crisis intervention and hotline services. One in seven of CV’s clients are children.
CV’s impact is incalculable. One might assume it has helped every abuse victim in Pittsburgh. Almost 700,000 people in the Pittsburgh area are likely victims of sexual or domestic abuse. CV needs every dollar available to help.
CV is one of almost 150 organizations in Pennsylvania that receive Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding, which comes from fines paid by federal criminals. Since VOCA was passed in 1984, organizations across the U.S. receive funding from the federal government to provide services to crime victims. On average, every county in Pennsylvania has at least two organizations that receive VOCA funds. These dollars help victims of crimes that cause physical, sexual, financial or emotional harm, including domestic violence, child abuse, human trafficking and sexual assault. Services include counseling, housing, legal advocacy, health care and other critical assistance.
VOCA-funded organizations save lives daily and help survivors heal from their trauma. These institutions were deemed essential during the pandemic and remained operational. For many victims, home was not a safe place. Isolation intensified the trauma of past and present sexual abuse; VOCA funds helped to address this increase in demand for services.
These organizations offer a spectrum of care to survivors and their families and coordinate resources in a trauma-informed manner. Because many victims are in a tangled web of physical, emotional, psychological and financial crises, specialized support is crucial. Without it, victims often cannot access any services at all.
Supporting victims is reason enough to promote VOCA and its essential role in our communities. But that’s not the only purpose VOCA serves. VOCA also helps survivors seek legal redress, which identifies perpetrators in our communities and brings them to justice.
Many crime victims are disoriented by trauma and may not recognize their abuse as a crime. They may be unaware that they can file a report, access services and advocate for their rights. Victims of sexual abuse face many barriers in reporting to authorities and holding perpetrators accountable. These include financial reasons, safety concerns or trauma associated with the legal process. When survivors feel alone and unsupported, accessing the criminal justice system can seem impossible, which means perpetrators in our communities are not identified and brought to justice. This magnifies victims’ pain and makes our society more dangerous.
VOCA-funded organizations end this cycle. They help survivors obtain jobs, housing and health care, which empowers victims to thrive in their lives, families, workplaces and communities. VOCA-funded legal advocacy and therapy enable survivors to seek legal redress. These programs support victims and help survivors assist law enforcement in holding criminals accountable.
Unfortunately, since 2018, annual VOCA funds have decreased by more than half. Even worse, VOCA is at risk of bankruptcy.
VOCA is not funded by taxpayers, but rather fines paid by federal criminals. Due to recent administrative changes, many fines that should have gone to VOCA were displaced and redirected into the General Treasury.
A bipartisan bill called the VOCA Fix Act, approved by the House and awaiting action in the Senate, could correct this problem. This legislation would improve the long-term financial stability of VOCA and all the organizations it benefits.
Unless the VOCA Fix Act is passed by September, VOCA will functionally go bankrupt. That means $4.5 million annually will be cut from vital programs across Pennsylvania. This could result in over 570,000 victims being denied the help they need, as well as massive staff layoffs and perhaps bankruptcy at organizations dedicated to keeping our communities safe. That means people who abuse others will remain in our communities, unidentified.
On June 17, Sen. Pat Toomey blocked the VOCA Fix Act from passing. Call Toomey today and urge him to pass the bill to keep Pennsylvania safe by protecting our communities and supporting victims.
Joyce Lukima is chief operating officer of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape.