Thursday, May 23, 2013

Every Child Deserves to Be Safe

By Julie Nauman, VCGCB Executive Officer

On May 25th 1979, six-year-old Etan Patz went missing from the streets of New York, while on his way to school. His disappearance sparked national media coverage and though his body was never found, Patz was declared dead in 2001. President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the anniversary of Patz’s disappearance as National Missing Children’s Day in 1983. This observance aims to highlight the problem of child abduction, promote ways to keep children safe and provide support for families of victims.


The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children®
 has assisted law enforcement in the recovery of more
 than 183,000 missing children since it was founded in 1984.
In the past 23 years, there has been a 35 percent increase in the number of missing children who are found. Unfortunately, 2,200 children are still reported missing daily. We can help raise awareness about child abduction and promote safety in several ways:

Stay informed. Keep yourself updated on missing children in your community. Report any sighting of a missing child to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Their hotline (1-800-843-5678) is available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you have children, take the time to learn about and exercise child safety and abduction prevention and communicate safety information to your child. For example, make sure your child knows what to do if a stranger approaches. In addition, keep track of how much personal information your child reveals online. You can find more child safety tips at http://www.take25.org/.

Spread the word. Share information about missing children and exploited children with others in your community.

Join the effort. NCMEC offers three campaigns that help promote awareness about missing and exploited children. Their Take 25 Campaign, encourages families to spend 25 minutes talking to children about safety and abduction prevention. NCMEC also has a campaign that educates communities on child sexual exploitation and how to recognize it and a campaign that encourages the use of photos to help find missing children.

Learn more about the missing children in your community by visiting www.missingkids.com. Let’s work together to keep our children safe.



Julie Nauman is the Executive Officer for the Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board (VCGCB). VCGCB provides compensation for victims of violent crime and helps to resolve claims against the State.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Official Observance Ends, Services Continue

By Julie Nauman, VCGCB Executive Officer

As the state with the first and largest victim compensation program and national leader of victims’ rights and services, California once again honored victims, provided resources, and united communities in its commemoration of Crime Victims’ Rights Month.

Around the state, advocates and government agencies held events and distributed information and services available to victims of crime. I am proud of all our statewide partners, as well as our staff here at CalVCP on the incredible job they have done in bringing attention to this very important issue.

Here are just a few examples of the outstanding statewide efforts last month:
CalVCP Executive Officer Julie Nauman greets California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris at the Victims' Rights Rally

I believe this year’s message, Facing New Challenges, Finding New Hope, was heard throughout California, and I’d like to share a few highlights with you. During the week of April 7, CalVCP Connection posted a series of guest blogs from crime victim experts and service providers (scroll down to read more). Later in the month we hosted our annual Victims’ Rights Rally and March in Sacramento with keynote speaker California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris. Lastly, we wrapped up the month with our first ever Victims’ Rights Digital Town Hall where Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully and El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson moderated discussions on human trafficking, sexual assault, domestic violence, and victim resources.





Julie Nauman is the Executive Officer for the Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board (VCGCB). VCGCB provides compensation for victims of violent crime and helps to resolve claims against the State.