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Latest Releases

National Crime Victims' Rights Week Resource Guide (January 2012)
This guide (NCJ 235596) was developed to help communities and victim assistance providers promote awareness of crime victim issues and help commemorate National Crime Victims' Rights Week (NCVRW) held each year in April. The guide features tips for working with the media, customizable public awareness posters, campaign materials, a theme DVD, a Spanish version, and more.

OVC News & Program Updates (November 2011) (PDF 687 kb)
This edition offers information about one of our most vulnerable victim populations: America’s children. Articles in this issue highlight—

• The impact of child identity theft.
• OVC’s partnership with a school in Indian Country to address victimization among students.
• A community-based approach to providing services to drug endangered children.
• Research conducted on children’s exposure to violence.
• The goals of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Defending Childhood initiative.
• Human trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of children.

OVC News & Program Updates (September 2011) (PDF 513 kb)
This issue addresses responding to victims of sexual violence and highlights—

• The Sixth National Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Training Conference.
• The Angel Band Project, a band formed to promote hope and healing through music for those affected by sexual violence.
• Visiting fellows supporting OVC in its mission.
• The presentation of the Menominee Tribal Seal to OVC Acting Director Joye Frost.
• New Americans with Disabilities Act rules in effect.

SART Toolkit: Resources for Sexual Assault Response Teams (March 2011, updated August 2011)
This toolkit (NCJ 232786) is a compilation of resources for communities wanting to develop SARTs—coordinated teams of people who serve victims of sexual assault—and for communities wanting to improve their SART responses. The toolkit reviews the basics, lays out the steps involved in putting together your SART, describes how to retain focus on victims, highlights SART programs throughout the country, and includes sample resources to use when developing and evaluating your team.

OVC News & Program Updates (July 2011) (PDF 840 kb)
This issue highlights—

• Assistance provided by OVC to the community of Binghamton, New York.
• A grant awarded to Pima County, Arizona, to help victims of a mass shooting in 2011.
• FBI Victim Specialists’ response to mass casualties.
• International terrorism and financial resources available for victims.
• The 2011 National Crime Victims’ Service Award recipients.
• Funding awarded to remember 9/11 survivors and the families of victims.

Existe Ayuda Toolkit (May 2011)
This toolkit (NCJ 234271) includes replicable Spanish-language tools and resources to help improve the cultural competence of service providers and the accessibility of services for Spanish-speaking victims of sexual violence. Resources include the following:

• Glossaries—Spanish terms related to sexual assault and trafficking.
• Presentations—PowerPoint slides used in presentations to promotoras (community health workers) and victim advocates.
• Tools—a pocket card, handout, fact sheets, and scripts for public service announcements and outgoing answering machine messages.

Gaining Insight, Taking Action: Basic Skills for Serving Victims (April 2011)
This 55-minute DVD (NCJ 232780) comprises three videos for training service providers, criminal and juvenile justice professionals, mental health providers, legal advocates, and other audiences who want to better understand how to communicate effectively with crime victims, the challenges faced by underserved victim populations, and the relationship between substance abuse and victimization. A discussion guide accompanies this DVD.

OVC News & Program Updates (April 2011) (PDF 1.9 mb)
The OVC News & Program Updates newsletter is a valuable tool for sharing information about OVC initiatives, events, and other items of special interest. The theme of the first edition is the importance of public awareness in providing services to all victims of crime.This issue highlights—

• Victims’ voices.
• Outreach to underserved victims.
• National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
• The Vision 21: Transforming Victim Services Initiative.
• The Tribal Victim Assistance in Alaska Fellowship.
• The 12th National Indian Nations Conference.

Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force Strategy and Operations e-Guide (January 2011)
This e-Guide (NCJ 232972) supports the important work of multidisciplinary anti-human trafficking Task Forces around the country and provides direction and promising practices on anti-human trafficking Task Force creation, structure, and enhancement. This e-Guide also includes links to many tools, trainings, and resources for victim service providers, law enforcement agencies, and prosecutors.