National Center for Victims of Crime - 9-11: A Crime That Affects Us Al

Reflections On Our Response to Victims of Crime After September 11

Remarks of Susan Herman

Executive Director,
National Center for Victims of Crime

At the White House Fellows Association Annual Meeting

October 25, 2001

I am grateful for the invitation to speak with this distinguished group of individuals. As White House Fellows, you have seen, up close, the inner workings of our national government and have returned to positions of leadership in your communities. I am honored to be with you today.

The events of September 11 turned our world upside down. We have entered a new era, with a new sense of national purpose, a new understanding of our vulnerability, and a renewed commitment to the values of our society.

At the National Center for Victims of Crime, we too have been profoundly affected by this tragedy. These same events have compelled us to re-evaluate our priorities, think hard about the purpose of our work and question our understanding of the world. Today I would like to talk with you about how September 11 is affecting victims and victim service providers around the country and how this experience highlights very powerful lessons about trauma, about victimization and about justice.

First, let me ask you this question. Close your eyes and listen carefully:

Thousands of people in America have been shaken to the core.
They have suffered a trauma unprecedented in their lives.
Thousands have lost a sense of security and safety they once took for granted.
Thousands face an indefinite period of uncertainty and anxiety.
Every day they have feelings of shock, anguish, grief, anger, fear, pessimism.
Hatred and confusion swirl all around them.
They are struggling to make sense of what happened and regain a sense of control over their lives.

Am I describing how so many of us in America feel after September 11?
Or am I describing how many victims of crime feel every day?

The parallels are instructive.

Victims of terrorism and victims of everyday crime have much in common. They often live in a constant state of fear, not knowing where danger lurks, feeling only the most tenuous connection to other people.

Research has shown us that victims of terrorism often experience many of the same problems that other victims face. For instance, when you look at research on the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing, we see stunning patterns of the impact of a profound traumatic experience. We have learned that:

Almost half of the survivors who were directly exposed to the blast in Oklahoma City reported problems with anxiety, depression, and alcohol.
Over one-third reported post-traumatic stress disorder.
Over a year after the bombing, Oklahomans reported increased rates of alcohol use, smoking, stress and PTSD compared to citizens of a comparable city.
Two years after the bombing, 16 percent of children and adolescents who lived within 100 miles from Oklahoma City reported significant PTSD symptoms. In other words, even children not directly exposed or related to victims who had died or been injured were significantly affected.

These statistics are remarkably similar to research that is widely cited by the victims' field. Studies by Evan Stark and Ann Flitcraft show that battered women are 5 times more likely to attempt suicide, 15 times more likely to abuse alcohol, 4 times more likely to abuse drugs, and 3 times more likely to be diagnosed as depressed or psychotic than women in the general public.

And according to another body of research, childhood victimization also has significant consequences—low self-esteem, self-destructive behavior, poor peer relations, violence, social isolation, and poor school performance. Whether the perpetrators are family members, peers, or strangers, victimized youth are more likely to suffer from physical and emotional problems than non-victimized youth. They are at higher risk for teen pregnancy, drug use, serious and violent delinquency, and mental health problems. In fact, even young people who just witness any violence, including domestic violence, have been shown to be three times as likely to abuse drugs or alcohol.

Overall, a history of victimization during early childhood nearly doubles the risk of multiple problems during adolescence.

Our community of victim service professionals has a unique understanding of the trauma experienced by the nation over the past month. Our experience working with victims of crime has taught us that traumatic events have long-lasting consequences. We know that the trauma that comes from exposure to human cruelty—whether it is stalking, rape, murder, identity theft, domestic violence, or terrorism—is not the same as the trauma or disruption caused by a natural disaster. Our sense of security and trust—our connection to others—can be shattered by these acts of intentional cruelty. And, in such cases, children are particularly vulnerable because for them such cruelty is that much more unfathomable.

Since September 11, calls to the National Center's Helpline have doubled. Every day, we speak with victims from all over the country—people from the New York metropolitan region who are displaced, grieving, or seeking information about emergency financial assistance. Some want to relocate. Others are anxious to return to their homes. We have spoken with survivors from Virginia, California, Pennsylvania, Michigan—from all over—people who need help coping. Some are having nightmares or feel intense anger. Some can't work. Some have children who can't get to sleep. Others don't want to get out of bed in the morning.

We are also constantly in touch with a national network of thousands of victim service providers across the country. They range from battered women's shelters and rape crisis centers in the community—to victim witness coordinators in police or prosecutors' offices—to statewide coalitions of victim service agencies.

Two themes have emerged from our work over the last few weeks.

First, many people with prior histories of victimization are having a particularly difficult time these days. Many have had their wounds reopened. Some of them had dealt with their initial victimization through therapy or support groups. Some never had. But the events of September 11 have brought them back to earlier, painful periods in their lives and they need help.

Battered women are facing particularly difficult choices. According to a number of shelter directors, while calls to domestic violence hotlines are on the rise, the number of women who are coming to stay in their shelters is down. These victim advocates believe that the fear of terrorism that has gripped the country has changed the equation for many battered women.

Before September 11, they may have been prepared to leave a violent home to protect themselves and their children. Now, many are deciding to stay. What an awful choice to have to make—whether to stay in a violent home where you know how to survive the day-to-day violence and terror, or leave and face the unknown terrorism of the world outside. So far, no one is reporting that domestic violence is down. It's only that fewer people are using shelters.

By contrast, rape crisis centers all over the country have seen large increases in their caseloads. It appears that this is mostly due to women experiencing post-traumatic stress triggered by the terrorist attacks. For some, it is the first time they have confronted the rape that happened years ago. For others, September 11 reopened old wounds and awakened memories that are still troubling, even after many years and a great deal of work.

But it's not just rape victims and battered women who are seeking support. Victims of hate crime and assault, survivors of homicide, people who haven't been to a support group in years, suddenly want to come back, to reconnect with others who understand.
One thing is clear: if you have a history of trauma—if you have been exposed to human cruelty before—September 11 can be more than just a new nightmare. It can invoke the nightmares of a lifetime.

Second, at the National Center, we are pleased—but not surprised—that victim service providers have been doing what they do so well—all across the nation. Even though the terrorist planes struck New York City, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon, everyone in America has been affected by this crime. In communities around the country, victim advocates have been listening to those in need, working with each person, each family, one at a time, to help them understand what they are experiencing and to help them get the resources they need. They have sponsored candlelight vigils to commemorate those who died. They have offered support groups for those who need to know they are not alone. They have helped people navigate the sometimes daunting world of victims compensation.

Victim advocates understand trauma. And the victim services field has been playing a very special role in helping America heal.

At the National Center for Victims of Crime, we have been working on three levels simultaneously–—we are providing direct support to individual victims, we are building the capacity of our national network of victim service providers to respond effectively, and we are helping the public understand the dynamics of trauma and what can be done to cope.

We have extended our hours to provide more direct services to individual victims. We have added lots of September 11 related information and resources to our website. We have developed new, very practical materials designed specifically for victim service providers—to help them help victims more effectively. This means everything from new tip sheets on hate crime, PTSD, and compassion fatigue, to information on how to help victims decide which legal remedies to pursue—civil lawsuits, or the new federal victims compensation. Since September 11, we have been e-mailing a network of several thousand victim service providers almost twice a week, sending out policy developments and materials. I encourage you to visit our website at www.ncvc.org, and see what we've been sending out.

We have also created a tip card for the public, explaining common physical and emotional reactions to trauma, how you can help yourself cope, and what to do if you need help. I have brought cards for all of you—and you can order as many as you would like. People tell us they find this simple message very comforting. After several days of advertising the card on our website, 170,000 cards were ordered by over 100 different organizations. Three weeks ago, our partner, the American Red Cross, ordered 250,000 copies of the card to distribute in New York City. If you would like to join us in getting this message out, you may distribute them as well. I encourage you to contact us.

The parallels—between the experiences of many victims of crime and the trauma experienced by so many in America after September 11—have given us an opportunity to think a little bit harder about our response to victims of crime generally.

Think of the outpouring of support for the victims of September 11. We have seen tremendous generosity, from individual acts of kindness to historic levels of charitable giving. Neighbors helping neighbors. Communities embracing victims and survivors. Unprecedented federal legislation compensating victims for their losses. There has never been a societal response to crime victims comparable to this.

So, we have much to learn from this experience.

Imagine a world in which there is a Red Cross offering emergency assistance to all homicide survivors or any other crime victim who needed it, just as there is for victims of hurricanes, floods, and now terrorism.

Imagine a world in which neighbors, church groups, and block associations were mobilized to offer support and comfort to crime victims in their communities—victims of assault, rape, or car crashes caused by drunk drivers—just as they often support people who are sick or elderly.

Imagine a world where government officials feel it is their responsibility to restore safety for all victims—where all victims are offered emergency housing, not just battered women, but all victims who need it—victims of gang violence, sexual assault, or burglary —intimidated witnesses who can no longer live in their neighborhoods without fear.

Imagine that each community provides a forum for victims to express their needs, comparable to the hearings we will see under the new federal compensation scheme.

Imagine that state and federal government made helping all crime victims a priority—that we responded to all victims, every individual victim of any crime, with the commitment we are bringing to September 11.

Imagine a society that felt that justice required that every effort be made to help all victims of crime.

At the National Center for Victims of Crime, we embrace this vision of justice. Our mission is to forge a national commitment to help victims of crime rebuild their lives. In our vision, the pursuit of justice for victims does not depend on the arrest and adjudication of offenders.

When offenders are brought to the bar of justice they are held accountable by the state for harms suffered by individuals. There is a societal response to the offender that says, "You violated the law and we will hold you accountable, punish you if it is appropriate, isolate you if needed, and offer you services to help reintegrate you into the community."

The individuals who have been harmed—the victims of crime—should have a comparable experience of a societal response to them. They need a statement that says, "What happened to you is wrong and we will help you rebuild your life." And, as we are seeing now for victims of September 11, for the most part, this can happen outside the context of the criminal justice system. We call this vision, "Parallel Justice." While we believe that society should hold offenders accountable for the harms they've caused, we believe there is a separate social obligation to repair the harm caused by crime.

Every school child in America knows the Miranda warnings. They know if they are ever accused of violating the law, they will have certain due process rights. In the future, every child in America should also know that if they become the victim of a crime, they have a right to be heard, and that our country will help them rebuild their lives.

You might ask how can we possibly equate the events of September 11 to every day crime. Of course, the scale of this crime is unprecedented. But the impact on individual lives is very comparable. What do you say to the woman in Brooklyn whose husband was murdered on the streets September 12? She, too, needs emergency financial assistance. She, too, has lost a breadwinner for her family. She also wanted to send her kids to college. She also needs immediate tax relief, access to bank accounts, and other state benefits. Unfortunately, none of the charities or new regulations apply to her.

Since September 11, we have seen many wonderful examples of our nation at its best. We support all of the efforts that have been made to help victims.

It is my hope that, as we reflect on these stories of communities, government agencies, and ordinary people doing extraordinary things to help, we can take away a simple lesson: every crime has a victim and every victim needs our help.